The Wolf and the Angel
by LapisLazuli100
Summary: A grieving Order member: Markus Wolf, saves a lonely troubled woman, lost in Silent Hill. The two find solace in eachother, but must escape Monsters, Sadistic cult members, and Markus' father: Leonard Wolf. DISCLAIMER: I do not own rights to SILENT HILL series.
1. Magdalene's Tears

**A/N: This chapter's kind of short, but I hope you will find it interesting, none the less. I've been a fan of this series since game 1, and this is my FIRST ever Silent Hill fanfic. This story takes place between the events of Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill 3. DISCLAIMER: I do not own rights to the Silent Hill series. It is the property of Konami. The events portrayed in this fan fic, is NOT part of the Official Silent Hill mythology. Hope you enjoy...**

_Dear God…Why is this happening…?_

Sitting on a bench in Rosewater Park, 32 year old Magdalene Kreuz, clutched a pistol in her trembling hands. She was on the verge of

tears, cursing herself for getting into this predicament. The last thing she wanted was to be trapped in an empty town, enshrouded

by fog, teeming with monsters. But in the end, it didn't really surprise her. With the way things were going for Magdalene (or _**Maggs**_

as she was often called), a town full of bizarre monsters seemed like icing on the cake. For Magdalene, life had never been easy.

When her father died before her 20th birthday, it seemed that life was nothing but an endless stream of heartache and adversity. But

as time passed, she eventually managed to land a well paying job, working at an exclusive antique shop. And just when things were

_finally _looking up, Magdalene's mother was diagnosed with cancer. She died 10 months later, and Magdalene was distraught, alone in

the world. It was only at the behest of her employer, that Maggs packed a bag, left Pittsburgh, and drove down to Silent Hill in West

Virginia. Magdalene hadn't been there in years, at least not since her aunt and uncle left the town, and moved back to Pennsylvania.

But she had many fond memories of warm summer days spent by the lake. She believed that Silent Hill would be perfect for a little

R&R . Everything was going fine, until she drew closer to her destination. Suddenly, her car radio acted possessed, making loud

garbled noises piercing Magdalene's ears. She only looked away from the road, briefly to try and fix the radio, But when she returned

her attention to the road, she saw a gigantic, grayish-black mass, charge out of nowhere in front of her Jeep. Magdalene screamed,

unable to hit the breaks. She quickly swerved to the right, barreling towards a small rest stop, but miraculously, she was able to stop

the car, just before it slammed into the small stone structure.

Moments later, after Magdalene regained her bearings, she tried restarting her car. But then, she heard heavy footsteps approaching

from behind, and the sound of heavy breathing…or was it groaning? Checking her rearview mirror, Maggs' jaw dropped when seeing

the gigantic, grayish-black mass (that looked like a deformed sumo wrestler), charging towards her jeep. Magdalene screamed as

the huge ugly thing slammed its body into the back of her jeep, causing it to lurch forward. At thesame time, Magdalene's cell phone

started to make loud static noises. The Grayish-black thing, slammed into the back of her jeep again! This time, shattering her back

window. Acting on pure instinct, Magdalene undid her seatbelt, grabbed her large tan shoulder bag, and burst out of her vehicle.

Without looking back, Maggs dashed towards a stone staircase, leading down towards a winding forest trail, engulfed in fog. As she

navigated through the dense fog and rocky path, Magdalene wished she had worn slacks instead of her black dress skirt and silk,

scarlet colored camisol. Her black ballet flaps kept slipping as she ran. But the trail eventually led through a decrepit cemetery, and

eventually, her intended destination: Silent Hill…

Magdalene was dumbfounded. _"What's happened to this place" _she asked herself. _"Where did everybody go?"_ Magdalene rubbed her

bare arms, suddenly feeling quite cold. The town didn't appear dilapidated, just abandoned. So she slowly wandered through the

empty streets of Silent Hill, trying to warm herself and to take in the haunting atmosphere. And that's when she noticed a fresh trail

of blood and gore leading from a crosswalk towards a building with a sign: _**Jack's Inn**_

"_Do I really want to do this…? _

But because curiosity was gnawing away at her insides, Magdalene, carefully made her way to Jack's Inn, and cautiously entered the

dimly lit place. She quickly scanned her surroundings, and was relieved to see it was quite safe. There was nothing inside, except for

these bizarre, headless, mannequins scattered throughout the room. Relying on the dim light of the window, covered by newspaper,

Magdalene followed the blood trail, to the bar. At the end of the trail, she found a standard 9mm pistol. She picked it up and studied

it. The gun felt warm, almost as though it had just been used. Suddenly, Magdalene's cell-phone emitted loud, garbled noises,

causing her to jump. And that was when all the strange headless mannequins came to life, and began surrounding her. Without even

thinking, Magdalene started firing the gun madly at the things, as they encircled her and she tried to run away. But one of monsters

struck Maggs from behind, hitting her between her shoulder blades. Magdalene fell to the ground, crying out in pain as the

mannequins moved closer, boxing her into a tight circle.

_Oh my God, this is it…what am I gonna do?_

Just as everything seemed hopeless, Magdalene looked up and saw the entrance to the bar. Fighting through her pain, Magdalene

held fast to her shoulder bag and the pistol, and quickly crawled, evading the mannequins. She continued to crawl until she pushed

open the glass door, tumbling out into the street. Magdalene was now hyperventilating, struggling to catch her breath, and calm

herself down…when her cell phone started making noise once more. Hearing footsteps from behind, Magdalene spun around and

saw _another_ mannequin monster approaching her in a swift but awkward manner. Magdalene scrambled to her feet and just ran.

She ran and she ran until her lungs felt they would burst….and that is how she ended up _here_ at Rosewater Park: cold, frightened,

and alone…

Magdalene studied the pistol in her trembling white hands… _"It would be so easy"_ Magdalene thought to herself, _"Why not? _

_It isn't as if my life is really going __anywhere. No family, few friends, no significant other.." _Magdalene tightened her grip on the

pistol as warm tears continued to flow.

"Oh Jesus" whispered Magdalene, "please forgive me…"

She turned the pistol on herself, pressing the barrel hard against her throat. But just before she could squeeze the trigger, a voice

broke the silence, startling Magdalene.

"_**No Stop PLEASE! Don't do it!"**_

Magdalene stood up, trying to find the source of the voice. Out of the fog, she saw a man quickly run towards her. He was a tall

man, short dark hair, strong build, and clean shaven. Magdalene found the stranger to be very handsome. However, she didn't know

what was _more_ disturbing about him: the fact that he was dressed like a funeral director,_**or**__ the fact that he bore an eerie _

_resemblance to that __handsome scottish movie actor_.

"Damn it!" Magdalene thought to herself, "What was that actor's name? _Gerard ?...Gerard Butler! Yes That's who he looks like!"_

But suddenly, Magdalene's thoughts were interrupted, when she noticed the handsome stranger moving closer to her. He continued

to approach her, but soon stopped short when seeing her point the gun, defensively in his direction. The stranger held up his hands,

gesturing for her to stop.

"Please" urged the stranger, "I mean you no harm. Let me help you!"

"Who are you" demanded Magdalene, tightening her grip on the pistol.

"My name is Markus... Markus Wolf…"

He continued to approach her, slowly and cautiously.

"Please" begged Markus, "I mean you no harm...everything is going to be alright…"

But Magdalene did not budge, she continued to aim her weapon at the stranger.

"Stay back!" ordered Magdalene, "Don't come any closer to me!"

This stranger she thought, handsome or not, couldn't be trusted. At least, not until she could establish who he was and what he was

doing here. But despite Magdalene's warning, Markus Wolf, took one more step forward, keeping his hands raised.

"Miss" urged Markus, "It isn't safe out here. Please let me help you. I can take you somewhere safe..."

Markus studied Magdalene, and he could tell by her expression that she wanted to believe him, but was still uncertain.

"I'm not going to hurt you" Markus persisted, "Trust me, everything is going to be all right..."


	2. The Kindness of Strangers

_**A/N: Sorry for the delay in posting. Now this chapter IS lengthy, there ARE monsters, but it deals mostly with the characters' emotions and painful memories. Sorry. The next chapters will get more scary and intense. I promise. Lastly, I wanted to add this Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Silent Hill series, or its characters. Hope you folks enjoy.**_

Markus took a deep breath and stepped forward. "Everything is going to be all right" he continued. He took another step forward, until Magdalene cocked the hammer

back, and pointed the gun in his face.

"Stay Back" shouted Magdalene, "you step any closer to me, and I'll shoot !"

Markus slowly raised both hands in compliance, as he studied the woman holding him at gunpoint. The young woman had long silky black hair, that was held up by an

antique silver hair comb, encrusted with black and white diamonds. She appeared to be very well kept; and her silk black skirt and silk scarlet spaghetti-strap top,

flattered the curves of her body. Despite her wardrobe and her apparent good hygiene, she wasn't what anyone would describe as, drop dead gorgeous… but there was

something about this woman, Markus thought, a certain something that made her beautiful. Markus swallowed hard.

"Okay" spoke Magdalene sniffling, "You said your name was Markus Wolf? Alright then… Tell me… what are you doing here, and what the Hell happened to this town ?"

"I live here" answered Markus. Magdalene glared at him in disbelief.

"Are you kidding me? I don't believe you!

Nobody 'normal' would choose to live in a town full of monsters! You're lying to me!

What are you _really_ doing here, and why are you dressed like a pall-bearer?"

Markus tightened his jaw.

"…I'm dressed this way because I _am_ a pall-bearer" answered Markus, now annoyed by Magdalene's interrogation.

"I just buried my mother at the Lutheran Church Cemetery" continued Markus, now glaring at Magdalene, "She took her own life…the same way _you_ were about to

take your own..!"

Suddenly, Magdalene's phone began vibrating, and making loud garbled static noises, distracting her. In that instant, Markus snatched the gun away from Magdalene.

She cried out as Markus grabbed her and forced her behind him, while he fired the gun at a mannequin monster emerging from the fog. Magdalene clutched her purse,

shaking as Markus finished the deformed creature off with a sharp kick in its stomach. He then turned his attention to Magdalene who was now hugging herself. He

approached her and she flinched, expecting him to hurt her in retaliation. But instead, Markus lowered the gun, and handed it back to her.

"_Now_ will you trust me?" Markus demanded. Magdalene said nothing, and Markus tightened his jaw.

"The first thing we need to do is to find a safe place" continued Markus. "There's a gas station not far from here. It should still have some supplies and it will give us both

a chance to catch our breath and to plan our next move."

Markus paused a moment to scan his surroundings, then he turned his attention back to Magdalene, now slowly moving closer to him.

"Forgive me" spoke Markus, "but I didn't catch your name." Maggs hesitated at first.

"…Magdalene…" she said finally, "Magdalene Kreuz… most of my friends call me 'Maggs' for short."

Markus nodded and smiled, briskly. "Magdalene" he spoke, "that's a very lovely name…"

"Thank you" she replied, "Markus…? _Please_ tell me what's going on in this town."

Markus did not answer her. Instead, he turned away and started walking. "It's a long story" he said finally, looking back at her, "I'll try to explain on our way to the

station."

He turned around and started walking again, and Magdalene followed close behind him. The dense fog made navigating through town, absolute Hell. Luckily, Maggs' cell-

phone proved most helpful when it came to spotting monsters, and the pair were able to outrun most of them. One monster, however, a short fleshy Sloth-type

creature surprised Markus, scratching his leg with its claws. Magdalene's response was swift. She managed to dispatch the thing in just three shots. She knelt down and

examined the ugly smelly thing.

"I hope this gas station carries ammunition" spoke Magdalene, "I only have two shots left".

She looked up at Markus, and noticed he was clutching the back of his leg. Blood was oozing from between his fingers as he tried to staunch his wound.

"Oh my god" cried Magdalene, as she reached out to touch his injury, but Markus pushed her hand away.

"No" Markus assured her, "Let's keep moving, we're almost there."

But Magdalene ignored Markus' protests and she lifted his arm over her shoulder, giving him the support he needed for his injured leg. Once Markus got his balance, he

and Maggs quickly hobbled towards their destination, dodging more monsters in the process. At last, they reached the gas station, and quickly barricaded themselves

inside. Magdalene leaned against the glass door, as Markus looked out the large window, checking for more monsters. Magdalene sighed.

"So much for R&R" she muttered to herself, then noticed Markus' confused expression.

"I came here to Silent Hill, for some rest" she explained, "I had an aunt and uncle who used to live here and every summer, I would come stay with them for a week. I

also came here for Thanksgiving and Christmas sometimes."

Magdalene paused, as Markus moved away from the window to observe their dimly lit surroundings.

"May be you've heard of them" she continued, "their names are Carol and Donald Nevins".

Markus stopped dead in his tracks, upon hearing those names. He looked at Magdalene, and suddenly felt himself hit by a flood of long forgotten childhood memories.

"_Oh my god…could it be.? Is it really her?" _Markus asked himself, _"is 'she' the little angel I remember from so long ago…?"_

The memory he recalled, was a cold, December night. Markus, who was 10 years old at the time, had endured beatings from his father, for not memorizing scripture

lessons on the birth of 'god' and the creation of paradise. His father, Leonard, savagely whipped him with his belt; and when his sister, Claudia, tried to intervene,

Leonard turned his rage upon her. He struck Claudia in the stomach with such force, she fell to the ground, having the wind knocked out of her. Markus observed his

mother, helpless, crying, begging Leonard to stop. But Leonard threatened their mother, forcing her to remove Claudia from the room. Once they were gone, Leonard

grabbed Markus by his collar, tightening it around his throat, choking him.

"_You will learn boy… as god is my witness you WILL learn. You and your sister will know the true meaning of obedience. AND the virtue of submission!"_

Leonard released Markus, letting him fall into a crumpled heap on the cold, hardwood floor. Before locking him in his room without food or water, Leonard turned back

to Markus and uttered one final warning:

"_Death to all those who turn their back on god !"_

Leonard slammed the door, locking it, and Markus was left alone to cry, lick his wounds, and lament. When he finally managed to get up off the floor, he looked out his

window, watching in silence as soft delicate snowflakes floated in the night sky. And that was when he first saw _her_. The young girl was looking outside her own window

across the street, from Markus' house. She had long black hair, that shimmered like silk in the light. She was wearing a tinfoil halo and a white dress. Markus stared at

the young girl who looked so beautiful, and yet, very sad. The girl looked up, finally noticing Markus. The two stared at one another for a very long time, until finally, the

little angel waved at Markus. Markus hesitated, but waved back. Suddenly he heard loud heavy footsteps, traveling up the stairs like thunder, coming closer to his door.

And then, he saw his door knob rattling, and then…

"_**Markus!" **_

He jumped slightly, having been pulled, abruptly, out of his thoughts by Magdalene, who had a look of genuine concern on her face.

"Are you all right? What's wrong?" she asked.

Markus was about to answer her, when he felt sharp pain, shoot up from his leg, causing him to hiss and groan. Magdalene rushed over to him, dropping to the floor, to

check his leg. Touching his pant leg, Magdalene quickly found that the material was soaking wet from his blood.

"Damn it" breathed Magdalene, " we need to dress your wounds".

Before Markus could utter a word, Magdalene quickly stood up and started searching the store from top to bottom. She used the light from her cell-phone screen to

help her navigate through the maze of shelves and debris. Within a few minutes, Magdalene returned to Markus, with a first aid kit, five health drinks, a box of tea light

candles, and an ornate lighter.

"Here" spoke Magdalene, lighting the candle, "hold this a minute."

Magdalene handed Markus the lit candle, as she knelt down with the first aid kit and slowly pulled up his pant leg, trying not to hurt him. After opening up the first aid kit,

Magdalene gestured to Markus for the candle, and he handed it to her. He watched as the tea light cast a warm glow on Magdalene's face. Markus tightened his jaw and

gripped the edge of the counter, trying not to cry out in pain, as Magdalene carefully disinfected the deep cuts in his lower back leg and began applying bandages.

"By the way" spoke Magdalene glancing up from her work, " I'm sorry about your mother…" She hesitated for a moment. "I just lost my mother recently to cancer,

two months ago. I'm pretty much alone now... this trip to Silent Hill...? It was _supposed _to help me rest, and somehow find peace...funny, huh?"

Markus made eye contact with Maggs, her sea-green eyes were two pools brimming with tears of sympathy for him. He swallowed hard, trying to control his own

emotions. But it was difficult, seeing Magdalene like this. He pulled his gaze away from hers, clearing his throat.

"What is it" asked Magdalene, "What's wrong?"

Markus looked at Magdalene with misty eyes. There was so much he wanted to tell her, but he couldn't bring himself to. The truth was just too painful…and too

dangerous.

"We have to get out of this town" spoke Markus, turning his head to look out the window. "Those monsters out there, aren't the only dangerous things wondering

about…there are other people here, the so-called righteous, who believe that everything you see here, comes from the hand of god!"

Magdalene was speechless. She wasn't sure what Markus meant.

"What are you saying" asked Magdalene, "are you implying that this fog and these monsters are somehow a product of god's wrath?"

Markus shook his head. "No...I don't know what I believe anymore" breathed Markus, "all I know is I just want to get out of this god forsaken place, and get my sister

out of here as well, before my father…my father…"

Suddenly, without warning, Magdalene's cell phone emitted loud static noises and vibrations. She quickly sprung up from her kneeling position, with her weapon drawn.

Both she and Markus, scanned their surroundings, wildly, but they appeared to be alone inside the store. Suddenly the large glass window shattered behind them and a

large gray hands grabbed Magdalene by her hair and waist, pulling her out of the building. Markus scrambled to find a weapon, but when he saw what grabbed

Magdalene, he found himself almost paralyzed with fear…

**A/N: Once again, I apologize for the lengthy chapter, but I hope you enjoyed it just the same. I will post the next one as soon as I can, but it will take some time to write. In the meantime, thanks to all those who have checked out this story…**


	3. The Missionary position

_**A/N: This story takes place between the events of Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill 3.**__**DISCLAIMER: I do not own rights to the Silent Hill series. It is the property of Konami. The events portrayed in this fan fic, is NOT part of the Official Silent Hill mythology. Hope you enjoy...**_

Markus Wolf was frozen in horror, as Magdalene was being carried out into the gas station parking lot, kicking and screaming by two hideous human-like creatures:

_Scrapers_. When one of the creatures set her down, Magdalene tried to run away but the second Scraper quickly grabbed her. With one strong arm, the thing pinned

Magdalene's arms firmly behind her, while another strong arm, looped around her neck, pressing Magdalene tightly, against it. Markus continued to watch as the one

Scraper, slowly backed far away from the one restraining Magdalene, and he immediately discovered why. Out of the fog, walked a tall, hideous monstrosity. And to

Markus' horror, he immediately saw who, or rather -what- it was: _The Missionary!_ It was dressed like a butcher, wearing a leather blood-stained apron. It's face was

concealed by a large, leathery sack, wet and glistening with fresh blood.

Tears of fright slipped from Magdalene's eyes and she whimpered as she saw the thing approach her, holding two large bizarre-looking scythes. One in each hand.

"No…please…" pleaded Magdalene. Her words were barely audible.

The thing moved its head from side to side, looking Magdalene up and down. Then, it slowly raised one of its arms, readying itself to strike. Magdalene struggled

feverishly.

"No _Please!_" she cried, _"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME…?"_

Hearing Magdalene's cries snapped Markus out of his stupor. He frantically groped around the counter for the handgun. But then he remembered there were only two

bullets left. Just then something caught his eye: a large metal pipe, lying on the floor. Markus snatched it up off the ground, and quickly jumped through the open

window. The pipe wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.

Magdalene screamed as the Missionary was about to drive one of its large scythes into her chest. Then suddenly, out of nowhere it seemed, Markus rushed in and

jammed the long heavy pipe into the Missionary's head. The thing collapsed to the ground as Magdalene screamed _"Behind You!"_ Markus spun around, just as the one

Scraper was charging towards him in an attempt to cut him in half with two smaller scythe blades. Markus quickly dodged this attack, and brought the heavy pipe down,

repeatedly, on the Scraper's skull and back, killing it. The other Scraper, finally released Magdalene and proceeded to attack Markus. However, this Scraper suffered the

same fate. Once Markus was certain it was dead, he turned around to see if Magdalene was all right. She was sitting on the ground, shaking violently as she stared at

the unconscious Missionary that nearly took her life.

"Maggs…" spoke Markus.

Magdalene looked up, and saw Markus standing across from her, with the long metal pipe in his hand. Unable to control her emotions, Magdalene broke down, crying as

Markus rushed over to her. She continued to sob and shake, even as Markus put his arms around her, hugging her tightly and murmuring words of comfort. But this did

little to calm her down.

"Oh my God, Markus…" she sobbed, "Why is this happening…?"

"Shhhhhhhhhhhhh…" whispered Markus as he continued to hold her.

He turned his head from side to side, keeping watch, in case more of those Scrapers (or monsters _like_ the Scrapers) came stumbling out of the fog. Eventually,

Magdalene quieted down, although she was still shaking and sniffling. Markus gently separated himself from her grasp, causing her to make eye contact with him.

"Magdalene" he began, "I know you're frightened, but I really need your help…"

Hearing these words caused Magdalene to compose herself. With a ragged sigh, Maggs wiped the remaining tears from her eyes and nodded in anticipation. Markus

continued, nervously.

"Maggs" continued Markus, "I need you to be strong for me…Can you do that? I saw the way you handled yourself before, and I know you can be strong, if necessary.

I can see it in your eyes…"

Magdalene said nothing. But she finally put on a brave face and smiled, as Markus squeezed her bare arms, reassuringly.

"That a girl" smiled Markus. He unbuttoned his black jacket, revealing a spotless white dress shirt and black tie. He proceeded to slip his jacket around Magdalene's bare

shoulders, and then he removed his tie. It was pointless to keep it on, he thought. Markus then smiled at Magdalene.

"We're going to be just fine, I promise. All we have to do, is go back to the old part of Silent Hill, and find my sister, Claudia. Then we can all get out of here."

"Sounds like a plan" spoke Magdalene with a brisk smile.

Markus nodded, as he helped Magdalene up off the ground, then he led her back to the store, to retrieve her shoulder bag and to search for more supplies. Both their

efforts were rewarded, when they investigated a strange light, coming from the supervisor's office. Inside, they found a flashlight that had been left on, and a small safe,

out in the middle of the room. When they cracked open the safe, they found another first aid kit, two more health drinks, and 5 boxes of handgun ammunition.

"Looks like we hit the jackpot" spoke Magdalene.

This sudden good fortune caused her and Markus to share a smile, and the two felt warm and giddy. But their newfound tranquility was immediately shattered when

they exited the gas station, and discovered, to their horror, The Missionary monster, had vanished. Suddenly, there was the sound of sirens in the distance, and Markus

immediately grabbed Magdalene's hand, squeezing it tightly, as the whole town was plunged into darkness.

"Markus!" cried Magdalene, "What's happening?"

"Don't panic" Markus assured her, as he clicked on the flashlight. "The town is changing" he explained, "It's being devoured by the darkness…you could say, it's a

reoccurring phenomenon that happens without warning."

He turned to look at Magdalene, and was happy to see that she was maintaining her composure. He squeezed her hand.

"We'll be okay, so long as we stick together. Whatever happens, don't let go of my hand. Also, we have to be careful, because the demons…they are drawn to the light.

So if we encounter any, we'll have to switch off the light, and navigate in the dark."

"Okay" spoke Magdalene, as Markus, hooked the flashlight to his shirt pocket.

"Just stay calm, follow my lead, and I'll see you through town safely."

"Right" answered Magdalene, "But why do I get the impression, you've done this before?"

"Because I have" answered Markus, "and unfortunately, this sort of thing is almost second nature to me…let's go."

Without another word, Markus and Magdalene proceeded to navigate through the darkness…


	4. At the Mercy of Wolves

**A/N: Sorry everyone for the delay in posting, it's been a busy/crazy week. This chapter will be VERY lengthy, but things are about to heat up between Markus and Magdalene, and things are about to take a turn for the worst, as readers are about to get a disturbing glimpse into "The Order". So, at the risk of giving away any Spoilers, Here's: **_**At the Mercy of Wolves(or Trading Spaces )**_** Enjoy…**

Magdalene bit her lip, trying hard to fight exhaustion and an overwhelming sense of helplessness, as Markus pulled her along the pitch dark streets. Occasionally, they would stumble onto a crosswalk, and Markus would quickly check street signs, then turn either left or right. They repeated this process for what seemed like, 45 minutes, until Maggs finally couldn't take it anymore.

"Markus wait…" she spoke, in between breaths, "…I can't…I need to rest…"

Markus stopped to look at Magdalene, and he saw that she _did _look very tired. "Maggs, reach into your purse, and grab a health drink. It'll help you feel better."

Magdalene's expression was dubious, but she readily obeyed and pulled a bottle out. To her amazement, she found herself, waking up and feeling more alert than before with every sip. She offered Markus a sip, but he shook his hand, assuring Magdalene he was fine. But he advised her to drink the whole bottle, in order to reap the full benefits. She finished the bottle, then looked around.

"How much further do we have to go, Markus? It feels like we've been running forever."

"Not much farther" answered Markus, " We're almost at the bridge…"

Seeing that she was feeling more alert, Markus took Magdalene's hand and the two jogged, briskly towards their destination. As they continued to jog, however, Magdalene's phone emitted loud static noises again. Without letting go of one another's hand, the two broke into a sprint, as they spotted the sign up ahead, indicating they were nearing Old Silent Hill. Magdalene's cell phone continued to make noise, and the two started running even harder when they heard the sound of flapping wings.

"_What the Hell?" Maggs thought._

Suddenly, out of nowhere, flew a giant, violet-colored, demon with wings. It swooped down, hitting the crown of Markus' head, causing him to stumble forward, pulling Magdalene along with him. But she reacted fast, holding on to Markus, breaking his fall. As she worked to steady Markus on his feet, Magdalene could hear the demon's wings beating slower, and moving closer to them. It was then that she noticed the demon was hovering right in front of them. With Markus' arm slung over her shoulder, Magdalene opened her shoulder bag and quickly pulled out the pistol. Clicking off the safety, she immediately started firing at the thing, before it could attack. It fell to the ground in a crumpled heap, and she shot it one more time, making sure it was dead. The static noise from her cell phone ceased, and Magdalene looked at Markus, to see if he was hurt bad.

"You okay" asked Magdalene, searching for any signs of blood.

"Yea I'm alright" answered Markus, "let's keep moving".

They resumed their journey across the bridge, until they finally reached Old Silent Hill. By then, Markus' mind cleared, and he took the lead once more. After making a couple turns and encountering some dead ends, Markus finally led them to their destination: Levin St.

"Oh my god" exclaimed Magdalene, "this is the street where my aunt and uncle used to live…" Markus continued pulling Maggs further up the street, and then she stopped when recognizing her aunt and uncle's house.

"This is it. This was their home… I remember the dog house out front!"

Markus studied Magdalene, then let go of her hand to access his family's house, which was right next to hers. As he struggled to get the door open, Magdalene sought out the shape of the dog house, in the dark. She felt her way inside of it, and within 2 minutes, cried: "Eureka! The house key!" Magdalene looked for Markus, and then gasped when realizing that his house was next to her house. It was at that moment, she realized…

"Oh my god…" started Magdalene, "…I…I've seen you before…" Markus left his porch, and moved closer to Magdalene.

"Yes" he said, "as I've seen _you_ once before…standing in the window, on a cold, snowy night. I remember you were dressed like an angel…"

The two shared an uneasy moment of silence, as they both tried to process several thoughts and emotions, racing through their heads. Finally it was Markus who turned away, focusing his attention on gaining access to his house. He ran up to the porch, and tried the door one last time, but it wouldn't budge. He then tried to access the back door, but to his surprise and consternation, both access points to the back yard were blocked by debris and other junk.

"Damn it" he cursed, "there's got to be a way inside!"

Magdalene stared at Markus, not sure what to say or do to help him. But then she looked at the house key in her hand. She wondered…

"Markus" she spoke, "I'm going to try opening up this house. I don't know why, but I feel as though I need to go inside. It'll at least give us a moment to rest. Heck, who knows… may be we'll find something useful."

Markus stared at Magdalene. He was angry that he could not access his own house, and a little annoyed at Magdalene for not having a better suggestion. Still, he walked back over to her, as she carefully ascended the porch, then tried the dog house key in the lock. It opened without any resistance. With caution, the two slowly entered the house, which appeared frozen in time. The ground level appeared sparsely decorated, with just the bare essentials: table, chairs, a dresser; but there were no monsters in sight, and everything appeared to be normal -if that was even possible. After briefly scanning his surroundings with the flashlight, Markus was satisfied, they were safe.

Magdalene rummaged through her shoulder bag, and pulled out another tea light candle and the ornate zippo lighter. She lit the candle and set it on the dinning room table. Grabbing a seat, Magdalene watched as Markus paced back and forth. She felt awful, for not knowing how to help him, but his pacing was starting to make her nervous.

"Markus…? Markus…." he did not respond. "Will you calm down? We'll find a way in…"

But Markus did not respond. Instead, he looked more agitated and perhaps, even worried. His immediate thought was: what if Claudia wasn't home, what if in fact, she was in the 'Other' church, hidden inside the old antique shop, across from the mall. That would mean another long journey _back_ to central Silent Hill, dodging more monsters and god knows what, or Who else. And what if he was wrong about that, too? Markus ran his fingers through his hair, noticing for the first time, a semi-dry spot on the crown of his head: blood, from where that winged demon had scratched him.

"So" spoke Magdalene, "do you want to tell me about what happened here? You've been promising me, ever since we left Rosewater Park… but we keep getting interrupted."

"Later" answered Markus, "right now I want to figure out our next move…"

"No" answered Magdalene.

Markus stared at Magdalene in disbelief, He wasn't expecting that response from her. Magdalene made eye contact with him, her voice sounded sincere.

"Markus… I want to know what is going on around here."

"I've told you…" started Markus…

"You told me nothing" interrupted Maggs. "There's something going on here, and there's something you're hiding from me, about those other people you called… the righteous ? What is it your not telling me?" Markus tightened his jaw, trying to suppress his growing irritation with her.

"Markus" she pleaded, "you asked me to be strong for you… I can't do that, unless you open up to me, and tell me what we're up against. Because right now, I feel like I'm running around blind!"

Markus continued to tighten his jaw. This was not something he wanted to discuss, but it appeared now, that he had no choice. He walked over to the table and pulled out a chair, sitting close to Maggs, bringing his face close to hers. This made her suddenly uncomfortable.

"You want to know the truth" asked Markus, "_Fine._ I'll tell you!…

"From the time I was born, I was taught to embrace the teachings of my family's religion. We call ourselves 'The Order', and our belief centers around god's return, and the rebirth of paradise, despoiled by mankind… 14 years ago, a woman in our church, a self-proclaimed prophet named Dahlia, believed her daughter to have magical powers. So she tried to rebuild paradise…by setting her own daughter on fire. Dahlia attempted to use her daughter's burned, comatose body as a catalyst to initiate god's return… "

Magdalene sat speechless as the words continued pouring out Markus' mouth.

"Dahlia's efforts failed. Instead of a paradise on earth, our town was devoured by darkness, plunged into a hellish nightmare, from which there is no end… since then, I've witnessed many outsiders, flock to this town, almost as if they had been summoned. Some leave, having found what they were looking for; while others meet gruesome deaths, or even worse, succumb to the sickening madness, that already resides in their souls…"

Markus' gaze suddenly softens, and he lowers his head, as if too ashamed to look at Magdalene anymore.

"My father…Leonard…is one of them…" Markus closed his eyes and swallowed his tears, refusing to let them flow.

"He's a monster who…throughout our lives, ensured our loyalty to both family and creed by beating and terrorizing us… I wanted to leave, I would have left a long time ago. But I stayed for my mother's sake, and for the sake of my sister, Claudia. I thought that if I stayed, my father wouldn't hurt them nearly as much. But now my mother is dead. She….she just couldn't take it anymore…"

Markus stopped, and although Magdalene, was both puzzled and terrified by Markus' revelations, she took pity on him. She touched his hand and stroked it, gently. This caused Markus to look up with misty eyes. He studied Magdalene's facial expression, searching to see if she still trusted him, or now feared him because of his connection to The Order.

"So now you know…" answered Markus, in a tone that was almost bitter. His pale blue eyes stared, sharply and intensely into Magdalene's eyes. "What will you do now, Magdalene? Do you still trust me…? Or will you take off, the minute my back is turned…?"

For a moment Magdalene sat, without moving a muscle. But then, without warning, Magdalene, leaned in closer to Markus' face…and pressed her lips against his. Markus, was mortified, completely caught off guard by this. And yet, he did not break away. Instead, he pulled Magdalene, tightly against him, and they kissed madly and passionately. They continued to kiss and embrace each other tightly. So tight, they could feel one another's hearts beating rapidly. Suddenly, they both simultaneously broke away from each other, breathing heavily, and struggling to compose themselves. Magdalene stared at Markus, as he steadied himself in his chair. Both stared at one another with eyes, large with astonishment and…something more. At first, neither one of them spoke, but then Markus, got up from his chair, albeit clumsily, and gestured behind himself.

"Um…I…ah…I should…I…go check…"

"…For supplies…?" finished Magdalene. Markus nodded, backing away, almost falling over the chair next to him.

"I'll…wait here…keep and eye on things, until you get back…with the candle…" Magdalene stuttered.

Markus nodded, then quickly turned and left the room, via another door in the hallway. Once Markus left, Magdalene let her head fall on the table, covering her face with her arms. She let out a long, sorrowful groan.

_Oh….My…God…. What the -%&- did I just do…?_

Magdalene lifted her head, scanned her surroundings, then sat back up in her chair. This was probably the stupidest move she ever made, well… it still ranked only "2nd" to when she entered _**Jack's Inn**_ and woke up those mannequins, earlier. But still…

_Damn it, what the hell was I thinking? The man's a complete stranger! You really ARE sad and pathetic! Kissing a man, who for all you know, could be leading you into a trap!_

Magdalene chewed her lip, then reached into her shoulder bag for the pistol. She pulled it out, and felt comforted by the weight of it in her hands. She sighed. Magdalene was quite sad, and she was very lonely. Maybe, she thought, when this was all over, she would have a chance to make up for the embarrassment she caused them both. But if it's one thing she was certain of, it was that Markus didn't mean her any harm. He had plenty of opportunities to gain the upper hand, but he never once hurt her. Besides, if it was one thing Maggs was good at, it was sensing pain. And pain was definitely written all over Markus' face, and it was in his eyes. Magdalene stood up, and reloaded her handgun. She was determined now, more than ever to help Markus find his sister. She flicked the zippo lighter, before blowing out the tea light candle. Then she carefully made her way towards the door she saw Markus enter, using the zippo to light the way. When she opened the door, Magdalene was surprised to see a flight of narrow stairs leading up into the darkness.

_That's odd…that's Very odd. I didn't even hear Markus walking up stairs, and THIS is the door he went through. I saw him!_

Magdalene continued studying the tall wooden staircase, suddenly feeling uneasy. For one thing, she didn't remember the stairs looking like this; and what's more, she didn't remember the stairs, being located behind this particular door. She bit her lip again. With one hand, holding the zippo, and another hand gripping the gun, Maggs took a deep breath and cautiously began, ascending the staircase…

"_This is Madness...!" _Markus thought to himself, as he searched the living room with his flashlight. He struggled to make sense of what just happened between him and Magdalene in the dining room. The kiss they just shared. Was it real? Or was it some nervous reaction on Magdalene's part, from listening to Markus' life story ? He didn't know. More than anything, he wanted to put 'the kiss' behind him. But he couldn't. In that moment, when he felt Magdalene's lips touch his, a flood of emotions stirred within Markus, and he wanted to have her right there, in the dining room. Lust? No, Markus thought. He definitely felt something for her, but he was afraid to call it 'love'; such an admission would put Magdalene's life in danger, especially since his peers considered people like Magdalene as 'outsiders' and 'untrustworthy' .

Markus continued to move his flashlight around the room, but nothing seemed to jump out at him. Nothing, except for a _**pearlescent hot-pink envelope with a picture of a gold, Shiba-Inu dog on it**_, sitting on the coffee table. Markus sighed.

"_No" _he thought to himself, _"whatever my feelings are, I have to bury them deep. Her life depends on it."_ He moved towards the coffee table to study the Shiba-Inu card, more closely. _"Besides" _he thought, _"for all you know, that 'kiss' may have been nothing more than a 'passing fancy' to her."_ He picked up the card, and studied it.

_**The card read: 'Mail this card to win an Awesome Secret Grand Prize. No postage Necessary. Just stick it in the mail box, and cross your fingers…You could be the next big winner!'**_

Markus rolled his eyes and tossed the envelope back on the coffee table. He didn't have time for this nonsense. Seeing there was nothing else out of the ordinary, he turned to leave, when all of a sudden, he heard the door open and close, outside the hallway.

"Maggs…"

He quickly exited the room, and was upset to find that Magdalene was nowhere to be found. At first glance, Markus would have assumed that Magdalene really did abandon him. But there was one telling detail: She had left her shoulder bag on the dinning room table, along with the candle.

"Maggs?" There was no response. "Magdalene!" nothing. "MAGGS!"

_Elsewhere…_

Magdalene continued climbing the steep stair case that seemed, at least to her, like a narrow small-scale version of the stone steps from an Aztec pyramid. When she finally reached the top of the stairs, she came to a wooden door, with a strange circular symbol, painted in red paint -_or was it blood? _Magdalene had never seen anything like this before, and what was it doing in her aunt and uncle's house? Her first instinct was to call out to Markus, but she swallowed hard and resisted the urge. Taking in another deep breath, Magdalene opened the door, and quickly entered another hallway.

What she found, was completely different from what she remembered. Instead of bright cheerful wallpaper (like she remembered), Magdalene was greeted by faded, dingy green wall paper, speckled with white lilies, mildew, and warped from smoke and/or water damage. The floor was wooden and bare, except for a few small dark-red carpets. This hallway was weird and it gave her a very creepy feeling. But the one item that really made her skin crawl, was a large painting hanging at the end of the hallway. It depicted a man shackled to an alter, and a woman dressed in a violet colored robe; straddling the man, with her hands, tied behind her back. The man and woman looked to be crying, and they were surrounded by 4 tall figures, wearing crimson colored hoods, shaped like pyramids. Magdalene inspected the painting further, and she saw that 1 of the pyramid-things held a torch, a 2nd one held a whip made of barbwire, the 3rd held a long spear, and the 4th wielded a gigantic knife. The inscription of this painting read: _**'The Fornicators: those who live in sin, shall answer for their crimes. From god, there will be no mercy…' **_

Magdalene suddenly felt ill, and she quickly ran back to the door she came in…only to find it _gone! _

"No…" breathed Magdalene, clutching the pistol, "No this can't be happening…!"

She looked around the hallway, trying to find a means of escape. There were six doors. She tried four of them, and they were locked, tight. But a fifth one opened, and when she burst into the room she cried out, having been startled by a young woman kneeling at a small black alter, filled with red votive candles. On the alter, was a picture of a beautiful young woman with long black hair, holding a little girl in her arms; the child looked exactly like the woman holding her, and the two had halos, indicating they were saints.

The young woman stood up from her kneeling position. She looked to be about 19 or 20 years old, with long blonde hair, and wearing a dingy, faded pink dress. Magdalene lifted her hand to reassure the girl.

"I'm sorry" Magdalene started, "But I'm lost. I don't know how I got here, but I really want to leave. Could you please help me…?"

The young woman studied Magdalene, with a somber expression. She shook her head, slowly.

"I'm afraid I can not help you" she spoke, "My father has forbidden us to speak with outsiders…especially ones, who mean to ruin us…"

"What" asked Magdalene, "I don't understand.."

"My father saw you in the park. He saw the way my brother looked at you. And now, they will be coming for you very soon…"

"What?" Magdalene was scared. What was this woman talking about? Who was after her, and Why? She had done nothing wrong. But wait, didn't she say…?

"Oh my god" spoke Magdalene, "you're Markus' sister, Claudia!" The young woman nodded, and Magdalene took a step closer, but stopped when seeing her back away.

"Claudia" spoke Magdalene, "I don't know what you're talking about, but I've been trying to help your brother find you… He believes we're all in some kind of danger, and he wants to get us to safety!"

Claudia looked at Magdalene, with an expression that was now sympathetic. The poor woman, Claudia thought, she knows not, what she has done.

"I am sorry" Claudia spoke, "but that will not be possible…'I' am not the one who needs saved…it is you !"

Suddenly, there was a loud sound, a commotion that seemed to be coming from the floor beneath them. It was the sound of loud voices, and heavy footsteps. Claudia, quickly walked up to Magdalene, and grabbed her empty hand. Magdalene gasped as Claudia pressed a small silver medallion in her hand, pressing it closed.

"Take heed… your time on this earth grows short. My father, he is not concerned with saving the lost. But I implore you…take this and pray…Pray to god for forgiveness… if you are sincere, she WILL hear you…and save you…!"

With those words, Claudia turned and quickly exited the room. Magdalene opened her hand, and studied the medallion.

'_**The medallion was small, circular, and silver. The image on it, matched that of the painting Claudia was praying to. For some reason, the medallion gave off a strange bluish glow. Magdalene pondered whether she should KEEP the medal.'**_

Suddenly, she could hear the voices and the footsteps drawing closer and louder. Magdalene dropped the medallion and quickly exited the room. She found herself back in the hallway, and saw the door, that had previously disappeared, now back at the opposite end of the hallway. She was about to run towards it, when the door opened, and in walked a very tall slender man, pale, with short blonde hair, and dark eyes. The eyes, glared hatefully at Magdalene, and she flinched when the man dressed in a black suit, pointed right at her.

"_**THERE SHE IS…!"**_ shouted the man, causing Magdalene to flee in the opposite direction.

Without thinking, Magdalene ran into the last room in the hallway, and locked the door behind her. To her distress, she found the room bare, except for a small bed, a dresser, and strangely enough, an old fashioned telephone, resting on a wooden chair. Before examining the phone, Magdalene quickly moved the dresser in front of the door, trying to barricade herself inside the room. Just as she did this, the door knob started to jiggle, and the door began to vibrate from someone pounding on it…

_Elsewhere…_

Markus ran throughout the house, searching frantically for Magdalene. Where could she have gone? He checked every single room in the house, that wasn't locked, then he quickly made his way up the stairs, and started trying all the doors in the hallway. Every one of them was locked, except for one. He entered the room only to find it bare, except for an old fashioned telephone sitting on a wooden chair, in the middle of the room. He also saw a large window that revealed to him, his own house. Markus' eyes widened when he saw Magdalene standing in the window _of his house_, clutching the handgun, preparing to defend herself. Without even thinking, Markus grabbed the phone and started dialing….

Magdalene continued backing away from the door, towards the window. She gripped the handgun, tightly. She was scared. She didn't want to hurt anyone, especially if that man, did indeed turn out to be Markus' father; but what was he planning to do to her? And what _crime_ did she commit? It was all too much for her. Suddenly, the telephone rang, startling Magdalene, causing her to cry out. The phone rang, and at first, Magdalene hesitated. But when she picked up the phone, relief washed over her when hearing the sound of Markus' voice.

"Magdalene!" spoke Markus, "what's happening over there, are you all right?"

"Markus" cried Magdalene with fear in her voice, "I don't know how I got here, but I'm scared! I found your sister, Markus. She appears to be okay, but… she said that my time on earth was short…"

Markus' eyes widened with fear as Magdalene continued…

"She said your father saw us in the park together, and that he intends to punish me, but for WHAT…?"

The pounding on the door became louder and more explosive, as whoever was out there, trying to force their way in.

"Markus…?" spoke Magdalene. Her voice was shaky. "I'm…I'm sorry about earlier."

" Sorry for what?" asked Markus, now more worried than ever.

"When I kissed you earlier ? I'm sorry I shouldn't have done that. I saw the painting in your house. You must think I'm a whore…" Magdalene sniffled, fighting desperately, to repress her tears. Markus could see this, and he searched for the right words.

"What? Magdalene No! You're not a whore!…I…I wanted you to kiss me, I enjoyed it! The truth Maggs, is…I really like you…"

Magdalene looked out the window, seeing Markus' slightly illuminated by his flashlight. She could barely make out his facial expression, but she could see the fear as well as the warmth in his eyes… Magdalene's eyes began to tear.

"Markus…" she whispered over the phone, "…I…"

Just then, the door behind her, burst open. In walked three men, all were dressed in black. Magdalene screamed as one of the men grabbed her, ripped off the jacket Markus gave her, then forced her to the ground.

"_**MAGDALENE…"**_ screamed Markus, but there was nothing he could do for her. All he could do, was stand at the window and watch helplessly, as the two men tied Magdalene up, then beat her. Magdalene's screams and sobs, were still audible over the telephone, and then just like that, the line went dead…

_**A/N: Once again I apologize for the length of this chapter, and the delay in posting. Hopefully I will not have too many other interruptions while writing the next one. **_


	5. Captured

_**A/N: **__**WARNING !**__**The Following contains Graphic Depictions of Violence, Cruelty and Bondage that may be disturbing to some readers. Discretion is Advised!**_

Standing in the middle of the room, horse whip in hand, was Leonard Wolf. He stood in silence as two of his 'brothers' subdued Magdalene. One of the men, a strong

burly man, with black hair named 'Simon' tied Magdalene's wrists behind her, while the other, a thin old man, named 'Harold', tied Magdalene's ankles together. Once

she was completely immobile, the two men took turns spitting in her face, hitting her, punching her, and kicking her; all the while, she screamed and cried. It was only

when she cried for Markus, that Leonard raised his hand, gesturing his brethren to stop. Magdalene lay on the dusty hardwood floor, coughing and bleeding as Leonard

Wolf approached her. As if on cue, Simon pulled Magdalene into a sitting position by her hair. She cried, when feeling her jeweled hair comb stabbing her in the scalp as a

result, and Simon ripped the comb out of her hair, flinging it onto the floor. In that instant, Magdalene's long, silky black hair came undone, and fell on her shoulders.

Seeing her long black hair, angered Leonard, for it made him think of his own wife, who recently killed herself, to escape his wrath. He stood over Magdalene, his

knuckles, now white from clenching the horse whip. Magdalene's lip quivered, and more tears spilled from her lashes, as Leonard gently, almost playfully, brushed the

end of the horse whip on Magdalene's lips, then back and forth on her bare chest and shoulders. Maggs whimpered.

"Please…why are you doing this to me…?"

Leonard's dark eyes glared hatefully at Magdalene, making her feel cold all over.

"You tempted my son…" Leonard seethed, "…I saw the way Markus looked at you in the park…you tempted him with your looks, your hair, your lips, your clothes…

you're a very wicked girl." Magdalene's eyes widened in an expression of both confusion and horror.

"What ?…No!…I- "

Suddenly, without warning, Leonard struck Magdalene with the whip. She cried out as one after the other, the lashes came. He struck her once, in the head, and mostly

in the chest. When Leonard finally stopped, he saw that Magdalene's chest was covered in bloody welts. He watched as the blood trickled down and soaked into

Magdalene's camisole. He scowled triumphantly.

"There" chuckled Leonard, "Let my son look upon you now…"

He paused for a moment to catch his breath, when he looked out the window and noticed Markus, standing in the window of the house next door, watching them.

Leonard smirked. Although, his face was barely illuminated, the look of terror in Markus' eyes was unmistakable. Leonard turned and grabbed Magdalene's face,

squeezing her so hard, she gasped.

"I'm going to enjoy watching you suffer, temptress… and when it's over, I will have you begging me for death!"

He released Magdalene's face, then nodded to Simon, who picked Magdalene up and steadied her on her feet. Then he gripped her by the hair, keeping her head still.

Magdalene screamed, cried, and twisted her body as Harold, the old man, stuffed a large gray washcloth in her mouth, gagging her. He then forced a tight black hood

over Magdalene's head, then spun her body around, so Simon could carry her over his shoulders. Claudia, who was standing outside the room this whole time, flinched

and rubbed her arms nervously, upon hearing Magdalene's muffled screams and cries. She hugged herself tightly and quickly looked away, when Simon exited the room,

carrying Magdalene over his shoulders down the hallway. He was followed by Harold and Leonard. Harold was about to accompany Simon, when Leonard put a strong

hand on his shoulder.

"Not yet" spoke Leonard, "There is another matter we must attend to, first…"

Markus Wolf cried out in anger, pounding on the glass, after watching his father and the two 'Order' members torture Magdalene. Out of desperation, he tried pounding

on the glass window and shouting, in a vain attempt to distract his father from beating her. For a moment, his distraction seemed to work, as his father stopped, and

looked right at him. But to his horror, Markus saw the members gag and blindfold Magdalene, before taking her away. Markus shut his eyes tight, breathing heavily as

the memory of Magdalene's cries replayed over and over in his mind. Gripped the heavy lead pipe in his hands, Markus felt white hot anger, coursing through his veins,

as he slowly backed away from the window. All his life… Markus, his mother and sister, all endured cruelty at the hands of Leonard Wolf; with the blessing of their own

church! Markus hated himself for his lack of courage.

"That's why my mother is dead" Markus thought, "She died because I didn't have the courage to stop my father from victimizing her... And now my lack of courage

has condemned another innocent woman."

_Damn you Markus! You should have never left her alone. Not for a second!_

He turned and quickly burst out of the room, running madly down the hallway towards the staircase. All the while he continued cursing himself for failing to protect her.

As he carefully made his way down the stairs, Markus feverishly wracked his mind for a strategy to rescue Magdalene. He was about to reach the entrance, when all of

a sudden, someone blindsided Markus, striking him hard in the face. Markus fell to the ground, disoriented. As he lay on his back, struggling to clear his head, Markus

could hear sirens somewhere in the distance. Suddenly, Markus felt himself becoming nauseated as the world around him, especially the air, seemed to change.

"No…not now!…Not NOW…!"

The world was changing around Markus… the soft blue carpet that cushioned his body, rotted away, revealing a rusty, dirty metal surface; the house's creamy white

wallpaper, also shriveled up and melted away, revealing a moldy, crumbling blood-stained surface. Within a matter of moments, the entire town of Silent Hill, was

transformed into a bloody, nightmarish hell. A hell filled with darkness & decay, barbwire & mutilated bodies; and the smell of blood and rotten flesh, hung in the air…

Markus slowly sat up, touching his face, when he saw something move out of the corner of his eye. He readjusted his flashlight, and saw the Missionary standing by the

door, scythes in hand. Seeing the Missionary, reignited Markus' anger and he quickly got up, grabbed the lead pipe, and braced himself for a fight.

"So…" Markus seethed, "I take it you've been sent here by my father. To punish me, is that it…? Just like he sent you to kill Magdalene, earlier."

The Missionary hunched forward, and moved slowly towards him. Markus, slowly backed away. This fight was going to be a real bitch, he thought. Even in "Other-

World" conditions, the dining room was cramped, with the large bloodstained wooden table, taking up most of the room. It was going to be a nightmare for him to take

the Missionary down, in just a few blows. And judging by the length of those scythe blades, the Missionary already had an advantage…or did he?

Markus continued to hold the lead pipe, ready to block any attacks as he and the Missionary circled the table. Suddenly without warning, the Missionary quickly ran

around the table with inhuman speed, and swung the scythe at his prey. Markus was able to dodge this attack, but just barely. However, the Missionary's attack did

give Markus the opportunity he needed to strike. When the Missionary took a swing at Markus, he ducked and jammed his lead pipe, hard into the thing's stomach,

causing it to make an unearthly groan. Markus struck again, this time, bashing the Missionary's knee cap in. The Missionary screamed, and brought its arm down on

Markus' back. Markus grunted, when feeling the sting of the Missionary's blow. He quickly pushed himself away, and got back up on his feet, circling the large table, once

more. He continued to dodge the Missionary's attacks in this same fashion, as well as dish out a few of his own, for what seemed like several minutes. Finally, Markus

was able to wear the Missionary out, and he was able to kill the thing with a strong crushing blow to the head. After violently convulsing for several seconds, The

Missionary was no more.

Markus stood over the lifeless monster, trying to catch his breath. He was about to leave when he noticed something sparkling on the Missionary's body. Puzzled,

Markus knelt down, and removed the shiny object, sticking out of the folds of the creature's clothing. Suddenly, Markus felt ill when the shiny object, turned out to be

Magdalene's antique silver hair piece, encrusted with tiny black and white diamonds. A small picture of an angel was attached to the hair piece, along with a strand of

Magdalene's hair. On the picture, were words written in blood:

'_**Alchemilla Hospital: BF'**_

"The hospital" Markus whispered, "Why would my father take her there? What is he planning?"

Markus suddenly felt uneasy. Taking Magdalene to the antique store, or to the other church hidden in the amusement park, would have made more sense to him. Both

locations contained traditional torture instruments that had been used by the elders, for generations; and it would only seem logical that Leonard would want to 'punish'

Magdalene in a church setting. But he couldn't ignore the cryptic clue. Markus stuck the note and Magdalene's hair piece, deep inside his pocket, then quickly exited the

house. When stepped outside, Markus was both stunned and confused to find a long stretch of 'nothing' all around him. There were no buildings, no monsters; all he

could make out, was the metal floor, that stretched before him like a desert in all directions.

Without warning, Markus was struck from behind. He cried out, suddenly overwhelmed by excruciating pain, that enveloped his entire head, causing a throbbing

sensation behind his eyes. He struggled to stay on his feet, but he was forced to the ground and quickly subdued. His vision was blurry. And as Markus struggled to stay

conscious, he could barely make out two blonde, slender figures, standing over him.

"Father Please I BEG YOU…!" he heard his sister plead.

"STAY OUT OF THIS, CLAUDIA!" barked Leonard, as he oversaw Harold, binding Markus' wrists and ankles with barbwire.

"He brought this on himself…" continued Leonard.

Harold stood up, from his handy work then pulled something from inside his jacket. It was an old, brown leather harness / muzzle gag. He held the device up, as if to

question whether he should use it, and Leonard nodded for him to proceed. Harold started fitting the harness over Markus' mouth and head. Claudia turned away,

covering her face, when hearing her older brother's weak, muffled groan. Leonard placed his hand on Claudia's shoulder, squeezing it tightly.

"It's for his own good, Claudia. We must punish Markus' body, in order to save his soul. This time, my son will learn his place…!"

**A/N: Okay guys, now to make things a little interesting. I'm going to leave it up to you guys to vote: Do you want to see Magdalene save herself ? Or do you want to see Markus rescue her ? Message me your votes… I look forward to seeing what you think...**


	6. Markus' Suffering, Claudia's Vision

**A/N: WARNING! The following may contain graphic depictions of violence, torture, and VERY suggestive dialogue. DISCRETION is Advised ! **

"_Mommy please…I don't wanna go back to Wish House!" little Markus cried. _

"_Markus there's nothing I can do. Your father says you have to go" his mother said._

"_But mommy I'm afraid! The grownups there…they do mean things to us. Even if we're Good and do what we're told! There's a man there, mommy… a big man."_

"_Markus…"_

"_The big man…he does things to some of the boys. Like Walter…"_

"_Stop it…"_

"_He took Walter to a room… a Bad Room…"_

"_Markus stop…"_

"_Walter did really Good at scripture reading… but the man took him to that room…he took him to that room…and then after a while, he started screaming…and then he-"_

"_STOP IT, MARKUS STOP IT!… SHUT UP!" screamed his mother. She breaks down sobbing._

"_Mommy…?…mommy I'm sorry, please don't cry…I'll go if that's what you want me to do…"_

"_No… no Markus wait…" called his mother, "Markus?…oh baby I'm so sorry!" she weeps, "I'm sorry. I don't know what to do!"_

"_It's okay mommy" Markus replied with a shaky voice, "please don't cry…"_

"_Oh Markus…Markus baby, I love you" his mother cries, "I love you so much…" she says in between sniffles. "Remember that. Whatever happens to you there. No _

_matter what they do to you…be brave…and be strong. And if all else fails, take strength in knowing that I love you. And that I will always be with you…"_

"_Mommy…"_

Markus Wolf, was awoken by the sound of a loud heavy crash, coming from somewhere outside the room. He tried to lift his head up to see what it was, but he was in

too much pain to move. Markus didn't know where he was, but he could tell by the pungent, musty smell, that he was in some kind of basement. Because the air did

not smell fowl, or the temperature unbearably hot, Markus deduced that he was no longer in the 'Other World'. His shirt was missing, and he was stretched out on a

hospital bed, tied down with barbwire; and every time he moved to free himself, excruciating pain shot throughout his body, from his restraints. His muzzle gag was still

in place, and the harness part of it had been securely fastened to the bed to restrict movement.

Markus didn't know how long he had been there… an hour…two days… he didn't know. He kept blacking out, as brother Harold, and brother Simon took turns torturing

him. First, brother Harold spoke prayers, praying that Markus' soul was not lost; all the while brother Simon, beat and punched Markus in his stomach, and his ribs.

Then, brother Simon read passages, devoted to the evils of fornication while brother Harold stuck giant syringe needles, the size of ice picks, throughout Markus'

exposed body, pulled them out, then re-inserted them. Finally, after a while, they switched. Brother Harold read passages devoted to whores and whoremongers

burning in the fires of hell, while brother Simon held a large burning candle against various parts of Markus' bare skin, allowing the flames to lick his flesh, until it smoked

and formed painful white and brown patches. After a while they had stopped, and left the room. But not before Simon goaded Markus, telling him that Magdalene was

somewhere close by.

"She's a pretty little thing, Markus. Lovely hair, delicious curves, soft skin. I must say, you have excellent taste" Simon goaded, "She's a feisty little thing too. She kept

trying to scream and wriggle away, as I was feeling her up, trying to see what was hidden underneath…"

Markus struggled, further cutting himself on the barbwire and screamed threats and curses, that sadly came out as muffled grunts. Simon smiled, patting Markus on his

shoulder.

"Shhhhhhhhh…don't be upset brother Markus. I promise…I will keep you in my thoughts, the whole time, while I'm 'giving it' to her, nice and hard. I'll be sure to enjoy

every inch of her for you, before your father comes to collect her. I'd hate to see such a delicate little thing like that go to waste."

Simon flipped Markus a cruel smile before exiting the basement, leaving Markus alone to twist, pull, and struggle with his bindings. However, he was forced to give up, as

the barbwire cut even deeper into his flesh, and he felt warm blood, running down his arms. Markus closed his eyes, allowing his head, to fall back on the bed. Suddenly,

he opened his eyes and glared angrily at the stone ceiling.

_Please god… if you REALLY exist...if you have ANY compassion… spare Magdalene the horrors she's about to face… Damn you god, she's an INNOCENT…!_

Suddenly, Markus heard the door open and close, and a familiar voice call out his name.

"Markus!" cried Claudia, as she rushed over to him, and threw her arms around him, crying.

"My god, what have they done to you" she asked.

She removed Markus' muzzle gag, revealing dried blood around his mouth and nose, and a large, dark bruise on his right cheek. Markus coughed.

"Claudia…" Markus pleaded, "you've got to help me! Simon intends to rape Magdalene. You have to stop him!"

"Stop him ?" asked Claudia, confused, "But why Markus? The woman's a whore, just like our father said. And as the scripture tells us:

"_A woman who chooses to lay with many men and surrender_ _herself to temptations of the flesh, is not a woman, but like an animal_; _and therefore shall be used as _

_such…"_

Markus stared at his sister in horror and disbelief.

"Claudia! Magdalene's not a whore! She's a poor innocent woman, who got lost in our town. Father's insane!"

Claudia's gaze suddenly became emotionless, as she touched Markus' forehead.

"Markus….I really don't care. It's because of _her_ you're being punished, and for that, she deserves whatever she gets!"

Suddenly, Claudia leaned in close to whisper in Markus' ear.

"Besides…I have wonderful news, big brother. Something that will make you very happy… While you were down here taking your penance, I prayed for you…. I prayed

harder than I've ever prayed in our lives. And that's when it happened, Markus. I received a vision from god herself! Markus…Alessa is alive and well! Do you know what

that means big brother? It means that all is not lost… Paradise shall be _Rebuilt!_"

Oh my god, thought Markus, She can't be serious! He knew that Claudia still grieved over the loss of her friend, Alessa. Even after 14 years, he knew Claudia faithfully

mentioned Alessa in her prayers, at least once a day; and she secretly carried a locket with Alessa's picture and a piece of her hair, keeping it close to her heart. Not

even their own father knew that. If Leonard _had_ known, he would have beaten Claudia for her 'foolishness'. Markus struggled to reason with her.

"Claudia…little sister" spoke Markus gently, "Alessa is dead, and she's not coming back….Claudia I know how much you miss her, but-"

"_**NO!"**_ shouted Claudia.

She slapped Markus across the face with such force, his head moved and his lip began to bleed again. He gasped, tasting the blood in his mouth, now feeling more afraid [and

alone] than ever before.

"Claudia please…" Markus begged, "you must listen-"

"No YOU listen Markus" interrupted Claudia, " Alessa is alive… I SAW HER CLEAR AS DAY! She is going to come back and she will birth a god, who will finally

LEAD US TO PARADISE!"

And with that, Claudia, refastened Markus' muzzle gag, over his frantic protests. She jerked on the strap tightening it, as brother Harold entered the room, with a small

black bible in one hand, and a cordless hand drill in another. Harold looked at Claudia, sternly as she turned away from her brother and started walking towards him.

Before leaving the room, Claudia put her hand on Harold's arm.

"I beg you brother Harold…save my brother from himself…"

Harold looked at Claudia, and then nodded solemnly at her. He watched Claudia exit the room, and then he turned his attention to Markus, whose pale blue eyes were

now large and wide with fear...

**A/N: It's still not too late to decide, readers. Should Magdalene escape and save Markus, or should Markus escape and save Magdalene…?**


	7. Killed by Death

**A/N: The following may contain coarse language, suggestive dialogue and graphic depictions of violence and cruelty. Reader's Discretion is Advised !**

Magdalene Kruez jumped, when hearing the sound of a door, opening and closing. Because her face was still covered by the hood, Magdalene could not see who it was.

She did not know where she was or how long she'd been there, but she was afraid. Some time earlier, one of the men who abducted her, was particularly abusive

towards her. Throughout the long, arduous journey from Claudia's house, Magdalene felt a man slip his hand up her skirt trying to grope and feel her as he carried her

over his shoulder. She screamed through her stuff-gag and struggled whenever he did this; but when they finally reached whatever their destination was, he threw

Magdalene to the ground and punched her in her face, her throat, and in her stomach. He punched her with such force, she nearly swallowed her gag and

asphyxiated. Then Magdalene screamed, when she felt something sharp and jagged pressed hard against her throat.

"You stop it! You stop it right now, before I cut you!"

Magdalene stopped struggling and whimpered as she felt the heavy man climb on top of her, touching and stroking her all over. As he attempted to pull down her

camisol, she began to cry… _Please god, _she thought to herself, _please make him stop. _At that moment, she heard the door open and another older man's voice call out.

"Brother Simon…they're waiting for us."

Magdalene's assailant, presumably Simon, stopped and got off of her. But before he left, he uttered a chilling warning.

"I'll be back…and you better be sweet to me, girl. Or else I'll carve you into pieces, till there's nothing left of you…!"

The door slammed shut, and Magdalene laid on the floor, crying until she eventually passed out from fear and exhaustion. But now the man was back, she thought, and

there was nothing she could do. There was no way she could fight back, and there was no one who could help her. Once more she tried to struggle, but she was too

weak and stiff to move. Magdalene cringed when she felt a warm hand touch her shoulder gently…almost comfortingly…

"Miss Kruez…" spoke a young male voice, "I'm not gonna hurt you. I want to help you…"

Magdalene felt the hood slowly lift from her head. It took several seconds for her eyes to adjust to the dim light, but as her vision cleared she found herself lying on the

floor inside a tidy, but dusty hospital room. She also saw a young boy with golden brown hair, crouched next to her, holding a small glass ampoule in his hand. He gently

removed Magdalene's gag, and her lips quivered as she watched the young man, who looked to be about 16 or 17 years old, snap off the neck of the ampoule and hold

it to her face. Magdalene cringed.

"Please let me go…" she spoke in a quivering voice, "I know what you want. But please don't do this…I'm not a whore I swear!"

The young man shook his head.

" I _know _you're not a whore Miss Kruez… as I said, I want to help you but you _must_ drink this first!"

Magdalene's eyes remained large. She did not trust this boy, however, she reluctantly obeyed, as she really had no other choice. She slowly drank the ampoule's

contents, as the young man held it to her lips. She coughed, and moaned, as she felt her whole body suddenly feel warm and fuzzy; almost like an alcoholic buzz.

Magdalene fell back on the ground, and continued to moan as the warm feeling enfolded her, lulling her back to sleep. As this was happening, she was faintly aware that

the young man, was untying her wrists and ankles. When she was finally free he lifted her up into a sitting position, and waited for the ampoule to take it's affect.

"There" the young man whispered, "good as new…you should also drink an energy drink too, it will help you regain your health AND your wits…"

He pulled something out in the open, which turned out to be Magdalene's shoulder bag. Slowly, Magdalene's head cleared and she watched as the young man pulled out

an energy drink from Magdalene's purse, and offered it to her. She took the drink and sipped on it, as the young man sighed, dusting off his brown vest.

"Who are you" asked Magdalene, "why are you helping me?"

"My name is Vincent" spoke the young man, " we're in Alchemilla Hospital, and I would tell you more, but there isn't any time right now. Markus is here, too. He's being

tortured in a room downstairs in the basement. You've got to go help him!"

Magdalene's heart skipped a beat when hearing Markus' name. She wanted more than anything to see him right now and to be with him. But she was scared, as well as

suspicious. What was Markus being tortured for, and why didn't Vincent rescue Markus first? Something about Vincent, didn't sit well with Magdalene. Though she was

prepared to do anything to save Markus, she wanted answers first.

"Why me" asked Magdalene, "they're your people. Why can't You stop them?"

"I have my reasons" answered Vincent, "and I will gladly explain them. But right now, time is of the essence."

"No!" snapped Magdalene, "Since I've arrived in this town, I've been attacked by monsters, kidnapped, beaten, and sexually assaulted by one of yours…! Now god

damn it, if you want my help, you better come clean and tell me the truth!"

Vincent stared at Magdalene for a long time, then sighed, exasperated.

"Look… I _want_ to give you more detail, I really do. But Markus, isn't going to last much longer. They've been torturing him for over six hours now, and they won't stop

until they're satisfied that they've 'purged' him from hell, per say!"

Magdalene's eyes suddenly became misty, as she thought of poor Markus suffering, while Vincent removed another ampoule from his vest and handed it to her.

"Go rescue Markus, and give him this ampoule. It will instantly heal his wounds, just as it did yours…"

Magdalene looked at her chest, and gasped when seeing that the bloody finger-sized welts that covered her bare chest, had vanished from her body, leaving only faint,

finger-sized bruise marks in their place.

"My god…" whispered Magdalene, "what IS this stuff?"

"It's a very rare, but powerful serum that appears randomly throughout this town. No one really knows its origins, but many believe that it is a gift from the gods

themselves. Only those who find favor with the gods, manage to procure these special items…"

Magdalene carefully placed the ampoule inside her shoulder bag, as Vincent handed her two more items: a map of the hospital, and an antique Japanese "yoroi doshi"

tanto, with a pearl handle. Magdalene took the long knife, and was confused. It felt so weird in her hand.

"It's an antique Japanese dagger. I'm sorry, but it was the best I could do, under the circumstance. Leonard took your gun…now look at this map"

He stretched the small map out onto the floor, pointing at the Second Floor section.

"Okay… you see the room, marked 202...?" asked Vincent. Magdalene nodded. "That's the room we're in right now" he continued, "now what you'll need to do, is to

take the stairs, all the way to the basement level. Markus should be located in the room, next to the storage closet."

Vincent handed Magdalene the map, then helped her to stand up.

"Now be careful… there's a lot of leg work involved, and if you have to, hide in one of the rooms until the coast is clear…hurry!"

Magdalene hesitated at first, but she gripped the dagger, tightly in her hands, and quickly exited the room. After she paused briefly to read the map, Magdalene found

the stair well and descended it, as quickly and quietly, as possible. She was just about to reach the last landing, leading to the basement, when she heard loud footsteps,

pacing swiftly towards her direction.

_Ah Shit!_

Magdalene quickly ran back up the stairs, using the balls of her feet to reduce noise, and carefully slipped through the door marked **1F**. Hearing the footsteps growing

louder, Magdalene frantically tried each door but they were all locked, except for the one marked: Staff Lounge. She quickly entered the room, just as the door to the

stairwell burst open, revealing Harold and Simon. The two men stormed through the hallway, trying each door, until they entered the Staff lounge, only to find nothing

out of the ordinary.

"Well where the hell is she" demanded Simon clenching his fists, "How did that bitch get free ?"

"She can't get too far" spoke Harold, "the hospital's locked up tight. But we better check the lobby, she may already be there, trying to get out."

He was about to exit the room, when he suddenly stopped and turned to Simon.

"Does she know that Markus is here? Perhaps I should go back down."

"No I didn't tell her" answered Simon, "she doesn't even know what this place is. Besides, we'll have a better chance of catching her, if we stick together."

The two men exited the room. A minute passed, and then 2. Eventually Magdalene worked up enough courage to squeeze out from behind the leather sofa, where she

had been hiding all along. Clutching the dagger in her hands, Magdalene held her breath and was about to leave the room, when she noticed something out of the corner

of her eye. Lying on the couch, was a folder, with the name: Markus Wolf, printed on the file. Magdalene stopped to look at it, but decided it was best to keep moving,

so she stuffed the folder in her shoulder bag and made a hasty retreat.

After poking her head out cautiously, to see the coast was clear, Magdalene darted stealthily towards the stairwell, and ran down the stairs as quickly as possible. She

continued to run, and as she did so, her heart was in her mouth the whole time. _Please god_, she thought, _just let me get to Markus…_ At last reached the basement

level, and she quickly burst through the door, without even checking to see if it was safe. The hall was dimly lit, grimy, and a little bare except for an empty gurney by

one door, and a few broken wheel chairs, scattered throughout the hall. She checked her map, to see where the storage closet was, when suddenly she heard a loud

sorrowful moan, coming from a room, two doors down the hallway.

_Markus…_

She quickly ran to the room where the sound came from, and burst through the door. Magdalene's jaw dropped and her eyes widened in horror when she found a

bruised, bloodied, Markus tied down to a hospital bed, with barbwire, and gagged with some sort of wide leather strap. At first, she was too paralyzed by fear to make

a move. But when Markus opened his eyes and looked at her, she quickly entered the room, bolting and locking the door behind her. She then frantically searched the

table next to the door, and grabbed a pair of wire cutters and a large pair of wicked looking scissors. She ran over to Markus and started working to remove his muzzle

gag.

"Hold on Markus. I'm getting you out of here…"

Taking the large scissors, Magdalene carefully cut through the leather straps that held the gag in place, then she removed it from his face and threw it on the floor.

Magdalene fought hard to repress her tears, as she slipped one of her hands underneath Markus' head, to prop it up. His hair was soaking wet, and he smelled strongly

of sweat and blood. His face was badly bruised on his right side and there was dried blood on his lips and under his nose.

"Magdalene…" he slurred, "…my angel…so glad I could see you once more before I die..."

"That's enough!" hissed Magdalene, as she produced the ampoule from her purse, snapping the neck off with her thumb, "Now hurry up and drink this! It's only a

matter of time before they realize I'm here!"

Magdalene guided the ampoule to Markus' lips and she held his head while he drank the ampoule's contents. When he finished drinking, he started to cough and groan,

as he felt his body suddenly grow warm, tingly, and his mind become fuzzy. Magdalene lowered his head back down, and quickly worked on cutting the barbwire

restraints from his arms and legs. She then carefully pulled the barbwire away from his limbs, and tossed them to the ground, as Markus closed his eyes and breathed

heavily. Magdalene swallowed hard, her eyes brimmed with tears, as she observed the number of injuries, Markus sustained. Though the ampoule was causing his

wounds to miraculously heal before her very eyes, just seeing all the burns, cuts, and lacerations was enough to make her stomach turn.

Slowly, Markus opened his eyes and forced himself to sit up. Magdalene stood close to him as he did this, watching for any signs of a bad reaction. She watched as the

burns and bloody puncture marks on his bare muscular chest, faded away, leaving only faint bruises as a remembrance of what he endured. Markus looked up and saw

Magdalene standing next to him. Under the dim light, he could see that she was deathly pale and her sea-green eyes, were filled with sadness and worry for him. Markus

also noticed, for the first time, Magdalene's long dark hair, resting on her bare shoulders, like endless shimmering strands of silk.

"Maggs…" he spoke, prompting Magdalene to make eye contact with him.

For a moment, neither one of them moved a muscle. The silence between them, was deafening. Then without warning, Markus grabbed Magdalene, pulling her tightly

against him, and he kissed her deeply. Tears spilled from Magdalene's lashes as they continued to kiss and embrace.

"Maggs…" spoke Markus in between kisses, "…I'm so sorry…"

"Markus don't…" she replied in between kisses, "…I'm right here…"

They continued to kiss passionately, until eventually they pulled away, and Markus noticed the bruises on her chest and throat. Seeing her injuries angered Markus, as

he suddenly remembered Simon's taunting.

"Magdalene…are you alright?...Did Simon hurt you…?"

"No he didn't" answered Magdalene, "but he would have, if Vincent hadn't come along. This young man, Vincent, he freed me, and gave me an ampoule. He even told

me where to find you…"

"Vincent ?" Markus stared at Magdalene, perplexed. What did Vincent have to do in all of this, he wondered. Magdalene noticed his reaction, and was now concerned.

"What's wrong Markus" asked Magdalene now worried, "is Vincent an enemy?"

"No Maggs… I don't think so…"

Markus squeezed Magdalene's arms, reassuringly, as he scanned their surroundings. Vincent wasn't really a bad guy, Markus thought; ambitious, and a little self-serving,

perhaps, but not a bad guy. These facts caused Markus then, to ponder over 'why' Vincent was trying to help them. What exactly did he have to gain from all of this?

But before Markus could think more on the matter, the door knob began to rattle then shake violently, scaring both him and Magdalene back into each other's arms.

For a moment, they stood, holding each other as someone continued to pound and force the door open.

"What are we going to do Markus" asked Magdalene.

Markus quickly scanned their surroundings, when suddenly, he remembered the cordless power drill, sitting on the stand, next to the hospital bed.

"I got an idea Maggs" he spoke while picking up the hand drill, "but I'll need your help…"

"Don't worry Markus, I got your back…" Magdalene said while biting her lip. She grabbed her dagger, and prepared herself for a fight.

"Okay then, here's the plan…"

Markus leaned in close, and whispered into Magdalene's ear as someone continued pounding on the door, working to force it open….

**A/N: Thanks to all those who voted. Your thoughts and comments were very insightful, and this chapter is dedicated to you...**


	8. Don't Cry

**A/N: The following contains graphic depictions of violence, cruelty, and coarse language. Reader's DISCRETION IS ADVISED !**

Outside the torture room, Harold and Simon both labored to force the door open. They relentlessly threw their weight into it, until they finally managed to hit it with enough force to bust through. Harold shoved the door open but was alarmed to see the hospital bed and the entire room, empty.

"He's GONE" shouted Harold.

"Don't be stupid" spoke Simon, "how do you explain the barricade?" Simon pulled out a Smith and Wesson revolver from his jacket, and cocked the hammer back.

"He's in there… we just have to find him. You go first, I'll cover you."

Harold did not like this idea, but it was pointless to argue with Simon. Harold cautiously entered the room. He only took a few steps into the room when Markus, who was hiding beside the door, surprised him with the power drill. Before Harold could react, Markus squeezed the trigger, and drilled deep into the side of his skull. Harold cried out, as blood poured out of the his nose and head wound, then he fell to the floor, dead. In that instant, Simon forced his way in, pointing the revolver in Markus' face. Markus glared angrily, but did not move a muscle as Simon ripped the power drill out of his hands and tossed it across the room.

"Where is she" demanded Simon, "where's your little whore?"

Markus said nothing. He continued glaring at Simon without moving a muscle, even as Simon pressed the barrel of the revolver, hard against his forehead.

"I said…where-Is-she?"

Just then, Simon cried out when feeling a sharp horrible pain, near his spine. Turning his head, he discovered that Magdalene, who had been hiding behind a cabinet, the whole time, snuck up behind him, and stabbed him with a dagger.

"You bitch!" Simon shouted, then cried, as Magdalene stabbed him again with the dagger.

"Who are you calling a bitch ? Bastard…?" snapped Magdalene.

But before Magdalene could withdraw her dagger, Simon turned and grabbed her by the throat, squeezing her, as Markus tried to wrestle the gun away from him. Magdalene gasped and choked, trying desperately to free herself from Simon's grasp, but Simon's fingers would not budge. As Markus tried to get the revolver away, Simon repeatedly squeezed the trigger, nearly hitting Markus three times, and grazing him once in his shoulder. When his ammo was spent, Simon broke free from Markus' grasp, and cracked him in the forehead with the butt of his gun.

Markus fell to the ground, dazed, as Simon brought the empty revolver down hard on Magdalene's head, stunning her. Markus struggled to fight through his pain, as he could hear Simon, now choking her with both hands.

Despite her best efforts, Magdalene could not break free from Simon's grasp. Slowly, her mind became fuzzy and her body became limp. She was on the verge of losing consciousness. Satisfied that she was too weak to fight back, Simon released his grip on Magdalene's throat, then he groped and kissed her all over. Simon then climbed on top of her and was about to lift up her camisol; but as he did so, Magdalene surprised him by grabbing his genitals, she squeezed and twisted them with what little strength she had left.

Simon cried out in a voice of both agony and rage, as he tried to free himself from Magdalene's grip. He struck Magdalene in the face so hard, her lip cut open and bled. Magdalene, however, did not let go. She knew her life depended on it, so she squeezed and twisted even harder.

"AAHHHH LET GO OF ME! YOU BITCH!"

"No!" shouted Magdalene in a raspy voice, as she gave his genitals another sharp twist.

Simon was about to bring his fists down on Magdalene's face, when all of a sudden, Markus grabbed Simon from behind and pulled him off of Magdalene. With blinding speed, Markus ripped the dagger out of Simon's back and repeatedly stabbed him in the stomach and chest, over and over until Simon's body became limp in his arms. As he did this, Magdalene, crawled away from them and huddled next to the hospital bed, terrified by Markus' ferocity. Markus continued to stab Simon, even as his body lay motionless on the dirty cement floor.

"_**MARKUS"**_ cried Magdalene, _**"STOP IT!" **_

Markus stopped, looked up and saw Magdalene, shaking beside the hospital bed, the _same_ hospital bed where he endured hours of torture. Magdalene made eye contact with Markus; his pale blue eyes stared deeply into Magdalene's large, frightened eyes. She could see Markus was in pain both physically and emotionally, and his pale blue eyes seemed to plead silently with her to forgive him for what he had just done.

"Magdalene…" he whispered, "…I'm sorry…"

Magdalene swallowed hard, trying not to look at Markus' bare chest, covered in blood. She returned his gaze, desperately fighting back her tears.

"I know you are…" she answered in a shaky voice, "… Markus it's okay..."

Slowly Magdalene, started getting up off the ground, using the hospital bed as leverage. Markus watched her struggling, and he wanted more than anything to rush over to her and help her. But he was aware of his blood-soaked chest, and he did not want to frighten or disgust her any more than she already was. Instead, he turned away from her, and focused on the two lifeless forms, lying near the door. He started searching Simon's body, checking for any keys, or items that might be useful. In Simon's coat pocket, Markus found: two boxes of revolver ammunition, and a KEY with a tag: _Examination Room_.

"Markus…"

He turned around and saw Magdalene standing behind him, holding a towel in her hand.

"I found this in a closet over there in the corner. Thought you could use it…"

Markus looked at the towel, and looked at Magdalene, though her eyes were still large, she did not avoid eye contact with him.

"Thank you" said Markus, taking the towel from Magdalene.

She watched as Markus vigorously wiped the blood off his arms and chest, then she glanced down at the two corpses on the ground. A part of Magdalene was glad they were both dead, especially Simon. Had it not been for Markus' intervention, Simon would have certainly raped her. He was a monster in her eyes; far worse than the ones she and Markus had encountered throughout Silent Hill. Yes... she was _very_ happy they were dead, but to see them both die in such a gruesome fashion, caused Magdalene to feel sick. She did not know how much more of this nightmare she could take.

"Magdalene…" spoke Markus, "…Are you okay ?"

She looked up at Markus, his chest now spotless. Her eyes were becoming misty again.

"Yes…" Magdalene spoke. Her voice was shaky, and her throat ached so bad she wanted to cry, but continued to fight. It was hopeless…

"I'm sorry..." spoke Magdalene, sniffling, "…but I don't know how much more I can take…"

Markus stared at Magdalene, who looked as though she were about to fall apart. He stepped closer to Magdalene then put his arms around her, as she continued fighting back tears.

"I feel so weird... like I'm losing my mind…"

"Magdalene don't" spoke Markus, as he squeezed her gently but firmly. "You've got to snap out of it, I need you!"

Magdalene looked up at Markus, and swallowed hard.

"I'm trying Markus..." she said with a ragged sigh, "but I'm not a fighter..."

"I know you're not Maggs, but you're doing good so far" spoke Markus, forcing himself to smile. He kissed Magdalene's forehead, and caressed her face with both hands. "Please, just keep it together. I know how horrible this is for you. But I need you to be strong…There's going to be a lot more horrors to come…"

Magdalene's eyes widened. "What ? What do you mean?"

Markus looked at Magdalene, then suddenly realized…

"Damn that's right" spoke Markus, suddenly remembering, "You had a hood on, the whole time so you didn't see."

"See what Markus? Tell me…"

Markus sighed, rubbing Magdalene's shoulders. "…There is another side to this town…a world, darker than the one you experienced, while traveling back to my house. This 'other' transformation happens without warning. But when it does happen, the only thing you can do, is fight and stay alive until the town returns to 'normal'…"

"Transformation ? What sort of transformation" asked Magdalene.

Markus hesitated, but he knew he had to prepare her.

"Hell, Magdalene…this entire town, literally transforms into a nightmarish 'hell'…"

Magdalene was speechless, but she tightened her jaw and composed herself, with a sigh.

"Okay Markus" spoke Magdalene, swallowing hard, "I'm ready. Let's do this…"

Markus nodded and gently broke away from Magdalene. He watched as she went to retrieve her shoulder bag, and the discarded revolver. As she did this, Markus removed the dagger from Simon's back. By the time Magdalene returned, he had the dagger, wiped clean.

"There's one more thing I should tell you" Markus spoke, "Claudia…won't be coming with us…"

Magdalene was stunned. "What…? But Markus, what about your father? Aren't you worried, he may-"

"It's no use" interrupted Markus, "Claudia is lost to me!" Markus lowered his head. "When I was being tortured, Claudia came to me. I begged her for help, but she refused. She's convinced that 'god' is coming back, and she's determined to see paradise reborn…No Magdalene, we need to focus on getting out of here. My sister…she's too far gone…"

Magdalene placed a hand on Markus' shoulder. "I'm sorry…" she spoke.

Markus looked at Magdalene, with an expression of both sadness and resignation.

"So am I…"

**A/N: Sorry for the delay in posting everybody. I'll try to keep you all posted about this in the future…**


	9. Old Wounds

**A/N: Sorry for the long delay everyone, and sorry to all those who may find THIS chapter slightly boring. However, it is necessary to connect point A to point B. So without further adieu, I give you: "Old Wounds". **

After searching the torture room for other useful items, Markus and Magdalene took a few moments to get their bearings and to make the appropriate weapon swaps. Once composed, they quickly exited the torture room, with Markus taking the lead. While jogging towards the stairwell, they stopped to check out the storage closet, only to find it locked.

"Damn it" muttered Magdalene pounding on the door, "I was really hoping this was open".

"Why" asked Markus, "We're still good on supplies".

"Yes, but we're going to need more health drinks… And you…" paused Magdalene, eyeing Markus' bare chest, biting her lip, "…you're going to need a shirt."

Markus looked at Magdalene and couldn't help but smile, seeing her avert her eyes while blushing slightly.

"We might still get lucky" Markus spoke, "I found this in Simon's jacket." Markus reached into his pocket, and showed Magdalene the Examination room Key.

"Hopefully" spoke Magdalene, as they continued to walk. "But I'm worried. While I was hiding from those two men, I overheard one of them say the hospital was locked up tight!"

Markus studied the map again, as they jogged up the stairwell.

"It doesn't matter" he said, "we're getting out of here. Even if we have to smash every window and break down every door!"

This answer pleased Magdalene, as they entered the 1st Floor. Not surprisingly, all the doors except for the staff lounge, seemed to locked. But they entered the staff lounge and conducted a more thorough search, which yielded an energy drink and three boxes of shotgun ammunition. Magdalene took the ammo and was about to store it in her shoulder bag, when it suddenly slipped out of her hands. The contents spilled out onto the floor, including the file with Markus' name on it.

Markus immediately spotted the folder, and grabbed it before Magdalene had the chance to pick it up. He opened the file and read through the pages, then glanced at Magdalene in an expression of both anger and hurt.

"Where did you get this" asked Markus.

Magdalene moved her lips to speak, but she suddenly felt afraid. She shook her head.

"…I…"

"_WHERE_ did you get this?"

"In this room!" shouted Magdalene, "I found it here when I was hiding from Simon and the other guy…I'm sorry I thought it was useful somehow, but I was wrong! I didn't read any of it. I swear!"

Markus glared at Magdalene for a long time, but his gaze finally softened, when realizing she was telling the truth. He closed the file and tossed it on the coffee table in disgust, and walked over to a door, that was hidden between the black leather couch and a coat rack. Markus was about to enter the next room, when he suddenly paused and looked back at Magdalene.

"If you want to read the file, read it. I have nothing to hide. Everything I've told you… about growing up with my family? It's in that file…"

He turned and was about to enter the room, when suddenly Magdalene shouted _"WAIT!"_

Markus looked back at Magdalene and watched as she held the file in her hands, as though she were contemplating: _To READ or NOT TO READ_. Suddenly, Magdalene opened up the file and tore the documents to pieces, rendering every page unsalvageable. When she finished, Magdalene retrieved the rest of their supplies and stuck them in her shoulder bag. She paused, waiting anxiously for Markus' reaction, but he did not speak or move a muscle. Unable to take his staring at her (like she betrayed him somehow), Magdalene looked away and slowly walked towards the Staff Lounge door. Feeling cold, Magdalene started rubbing her arms and breathed deeply through her nose, trying to clear her head and swallow her emotions. However, when she felt Markus' warm hands resting on her shoulders, Magdalene opened her eyes, and turned to face him. His expression was both tired and sad.

"I'm sorry Magdalene" spoke Markus softly, "I didn't mean to lash out…it's just… that file. Something terrible happened to me, the night I first saw you…"

Magdalene bit her lip. "Markus" she started, "you don't have to explain…"

"No I want to" spoke Markus, "I need to…"

Markus paused. "When I was ten years old, my father beat me for questioning the faith and for I refusing to learn the scriptures. After he had beaten me, Leonard made arrangements to send me to Hope House. It was an "orphanage" run by The Order, and it was used for initiating children into the faith, as well as place of punishment for those deemed unruly…"

Magdalene swallowed hard. The more secrets Markus revealed about The Order, the more uneasy she became.

"I've seen so many horrors there Magdalene…. Innocent boys and girls, some of them had been kidnapped for the sole purpose of brainwashing. All of them were beaten, tortured, and starved for trivial offenses… I didn't want to go there so I escaped from my father, out into the snow. A policeman found me, half frozen and barely conscious, so he brought me to this hospital. The doctors and that policeman wanted to help me. They promised me that I was safe, but someone told my father. He came here and he threatened to hurt my mother and sister if I told anyone what happened…"

Magdalene was speechless. She did not know what to say, as Markus lowered his head.

"So that file was an investigation into the abuse…" Magdalene spoke.

Markus nodded, and made eye contact with Magdalene.

"Yes" answered Markus, "my injuries were severe enough, that the doctors kept me here for two days, but I was warned by Leonard NOT to tell anyone about the abuse OR about Hope House." Markus clenched the revolver in his hands. "And that bastard…" seethed Markus, "brought my mother into my hospital room, pulled up her shirt when no one was around… and he showed me how he CUT HER AND WHIPPED HER…AND THAT HE'D DO THE SAME TO CLAUDIA IF I DIDN'T KEEP MY MOUTH SHUT!…I HATE HIM! I HATE HIM!"

Magdalene gasped, putting her hand on her throat, unconsciously backing away from Markus. Suddenly there was a loud crash that came from outside the Staff Lounge, startling Magdalene and causing her to cry out. Markus grabbed Magdalene by the wrist and pulled her behind him, drawing his revolver. He looked back at Magdalene and motioned for her to follow behind him, as he cautiously opened the door. He suddenly kicked it open all the way, and was prepared to fire his weapon. But to his surprise, the hall appeared empty. He looked back at Magdalene, who was now clutching the Japanese dagger, that Vincent gave her.

"Okay" spoke Markus, "new strategy. No more talking, no more explanations. Let's get the hell out of here!"

Markus stared sharply into Magdalene's eyes, and she met his gaze, nodding vigorously in agreement.

"Right" answered Magdalene, "Sounds good".

Markus and Magdalene quickly exited the staff lounge and tried the door right across the hall, but it was locked. Markus turned and tried the door marked: Medicine Room, and it opened without resistance.

"Over here" Markus spoke.

The two pushed their way through and quickly spotted an adjacent door marked: Examination Room. Markus rushed over to it, turned the key, and unlocked the door, and continued to push through, as Magdalene tried to keep up. The two found themselves in a fairly large, normal looking room containing a bed, desk and two closets. Nothing really looked out of the ordinary, so Magdalene checked the map, and then gestured to two doors across the room.

"Okaaay, according to this map the door on the right, leads to a doctor's office while the one on the left, leads to the lobby."

She looked at Markus as she approached the door on the left. She turned the handle and when it would not open, Maggs struggled to bury her disappointment.

"I guess it's the doctor's office then…" she said.

Markus nodded and moved towards the door marked: Doctor's Office and entered it, followed by Magdalene. At first glance, the office seemed normal. There was nothing that really seemed to stick out, until Markus checked the small closet.

"Ah, finally…" spoke Markus, as he removed a gray polo shirt on a hanger.

Magdalene smiled, silently relieved that he was able to find a shirt. Not that she minded staring at Markus' smooth masculine chest, but it _was_ starting to become a distraction. At least, for her. While Markus changed into the shirt, Magdalene investigated the doctor's desk for anything useful; and that was when she discovered a strange note, apparently written by a doctor. The note also contained a rough sketch of some weird bloody octopus-like creature with human jaws and teeth…

**_I saw it! I saw the monster the children were talking about. What am I going to do? If word gets out about this, I'm ruined! No one must EVER know about this. Need blood. Need LOTS OF BLOOD_**

"Markus…" spoke Maggs, "I found something…"

Markus walked up to Magdalene, who handed him the note. When he read the note and saw the picture, he suddenly felt himself grow cold. His mind became fuzzy and he nearly lost his balance, causing Magdalene to panic.

"Markus!" cried Magdalene, holding him steady, "What is it, what's wrong?"

"I don't know" answered Markus, clutching head, "But let's get out of here now! That door over there, behind the desk… It should open up to the lobby. Let's just go!"

Without another word, Markus broke away from Magdalene and moved towards the door in question. He tried the handle, and to both of their relief, it opened.

" Come one" Markus smiled, "we're almost home free."

Markus took Magdalene by the hand, and the two quickly exited the doctor's office and navigated the hallway towards the lobby. As they did this, Markus couldn't help but shake the feeling that all was not well. The note/picture they found in that office, struck a chord for Markus, stirring up all sorts of scary negative sensations inside of him. Why would such a cryptic note have an effect on him? He did not know. Or rather, Markus did not _want_ to know. All he wanted, was to get out of this place, and if nothing else, find some place safe for Magdalene to stay, until he found Vincent and dealt with his father. With this in mind, Markus quickened his pace to the Lobby, still holding Magdalene's hand, tightly...


	10. Vincent's proposal, A Scary Ride

**A/N: The following may contain graphic depictions of violence and cruelty. Reader Discretion is Advised! **

Markus and Magdalene entered the lobby hand in hand. When they saw the hospital entrance, both of their hearts raced. Though neither one of them spoke, each felt giddy with hope seeing the double green doors. But this new found hope evaporated when Markus pushed on the door handle…and it would not budge.

"Damn it" fumed Markus.

He started jerking and shaking the handles with both hands while Magdalene silently watched. She closed her eyes, and sighed. She wasn't upset, because in a way, Magdalene knew they would not escape so easily. Still, this knowledge did little to quell the despair she was feeling inside. After several minutes of jerking the handles and pounding the door, Markus stepped back and glanced frantically about the room. He looked around for something _anything_ he could use to maybe smash through the windows.

Just then, there was the sound of a door opening and closing. Then footsteps. Markus pulled out the revolver and motioned for Magdalene to get out of the way. She drew out her dagger and hid herself between the reception desk and a chair, as the footsteps grew louder. Suddenly she saw a pair of hands appear from out the corner of the hallway, and she cried out when Markus fired his weapon.

"What the- HEY!" shouted Vincent, as he ducked back in the hallway.

Markus stopped when recognizing the voice, and he lowered the revolver. Magdalene jumped out of her hiding place, and rushed over to Markus' side as Vincent got back up and walked towards them.

"So much for gratitude" Vincent muttered, as he studied the expression on Markus' face. "A simple 'Thank you' would have sufficed." Markus tightened his jaw.

"I suppose I _should_ be grateful to you" answered Markus, "Especially since you helped Magdalene get away from Simon… But then again, why _are_ you helping us? Surely you're not doing this out of the goodness of your heart."

"I resent that" spoke Vincent indignantly, "how could you say such a thing…?"

Both Markus and Magdalene stare at Vincent.

"Fine" sighed Vincent, rubbing the back of his neck. "After you and Magdalene were abducted, I was called into a meeting with the elders…they are greatly disturbed by your father's recent actions, including his driving your mother to commit suicide. The elders want him removed from the council, and the church, by any means necessary."

"What" asked Markus, "I don't understand…"

"It's quite simple" explained Vincent, "Contrary to what you may think, Markus, Dahlia Gillespie's actions were NOT sanctioned by the church. The elders want nothing more than for things to go back the way they were _before_ Dahlia tampered with the forces of this town. However, they feel that in order for this to happen, we must first do away with fanatical practices, and people like Dahlia and your father, Leonard…"

"Is that so…" spoke Markus, bitterly. "Somehow I think it's too late to fix Silent Hill. The damage has already been done…killing my father will accomplish nothing…"

"I know…" spoke Vincent, brushing the hair from his eyes. "But the elders still want your father dealt with, whether he's killed, or put some place safe where he can not harm anyone…the decision is yours."

Markus stared at Vincent. "So let me get this straight…the elders want _me_ to deal with my own father…? What's in it for me… or _Rather_, what's in it for You…?"

Vincent looked down at his shoes. His unwillingness to answer, only fueled Markus' growing anger. "Vincent…!"

"Alright!" shouted Vincent, "in exchange for your help, you and Magdalene can leave Silent Hill in peace, and the two of you will be compensated for your troubles…and I…" Vincent hesitated, "…the elders have agreed to expedite my studies and make me head of the church."

Markus continued staring at Vincent, then laughed in disgust. "I knew it…" spoke Markus, " I knew there was a catch… You never _did_ like to get your hands dirty, Vincent…"

"Hey I'm doing you a favor!" spat Vincent, "You're father's madder than a March Hare. And mark my words, he will stop at nothing until he sees Magdalene dead…"

Markus looked at Magdalene, whose eyes widened with fear. She lowered her head, and hugged herself, prompting Markus to place a protective arm around her. He glared angrily at Vincent.

"Why her" asked Markus, "she's done nothing wrong…!"

Vincent shook his head. "I don't know Markus, honest!…But right now, it doesn't matter. You're going to have to face your father, if you wish to leave this hospital alive."

Vincent reached into his vest pocket, and produced the Generator room key. He held it out for Markus to take.

"Take this key, it will unlock the room to the In House- Generator. Once you've activated it, take the elevator up to the 4th Floor in order to find your father."

Magdalene stared at the two men, confused.

"4th Floor ? What are you talking about? The hospital map only shows 3 floors…!"

Vincent did not respond to Magdalene. Instead his lips formed into a tight smile as Markus took the generator room key from him. Markus studied the key in his hand, but there was something else that was troubling him.

"My sister" spoke Markus, "what will become of her, after all of this?"

Vincent looked at Markus, and his expression became more sympathetic.

"Markus" spoke Vincent, "I give you my word, that I will look after Claudia. I will personally see that no harm comes to her, and that all her needs will be met."

"She _claims_ to have had a vision that Alessa was alive." Markus glared at Vincent. "Will you deal with her, as you'll have me deal with my father…?"

Vincent was shocked, but unconcerned by Markus' revelation.

"What? No, of course not" assured Vincent, "you know Claudia. She wouldn't hurt a fly…Besides, you and I both know how deeply she grieves Alessa. Those two were inseparable…"

He backed away from Markus, and turned to exit the Lobby.

"No Markus, I give you my solemn vow, no harm will befall Claudia. I shall look after her, as though she were my own flesh and blood. You may think ill of me Markus, but have I ever lied to you…?"

Markus squeezed the generator key in his hand, and tightened his jaw.

"No…" he answered grudgingly.

Vincent nodded. "Thank you, brother Markus. Good luck to both of you…"

Markus and Magdalene both watched as Vincent exited the lobby, and then Markus, reloaded the revolver as Magdalene glanced at the map.

"I still don't understand" spoke Magdalene, "what does he mean by a '4th Floor' ?"

"I'm not sure" answered Markus "but I imagine it has something to do with that 'Other World' that I was telling you about."

They exited the lobby the way they came; and after following Vincent's instructions, the two activated the generator, restoring power to the elevator. They entered it, and to Magdalene's surprise, there _was_ a button marked: "4" on the panel. Markus pushed the button, and the elevator slowly began its ascension. But when they reached the 3rd Floor, things took a turn for the bizarre. A small red radio blaring loud static, seemed to appear out of nowhere, and fall onto the floor; and that's when all hell broke loose. The lights flickered, and suddenly the elevator began to shake and jolt violently, causing both Markus and Magdalene to fall on the floor. Then, the elevator increased its speed, as it continued its ascension. Magdalene screamed, as Markus crawled over to her and hugged her tightly.

"It's alright!" shouted Markus, "it's what I was telling you before…the transformation…it's happening right now!"

The elevator continued to accelerate as Markus and Magdalene held on to each other. At the rate we're going, Markus thought, we're liable to crash through the roof…Just then, the elevator came to a hard stop. The small red radio continued to blare loud static as the elevator doors, slowly, slid open… revealing to them a hallway encrusted with rust, mold, grime, and blood from top to bottom. Markus observed Magdalene, staring in shock, at the disgusting hallway. Both coughed, as the sickly sweet pungent air, hit their noses. Markus grabbed the radio and helped Magdalene up off the floor. He put his hands firmly on Magdalene's shoulders, and stared deep into her eyes.

"Okay" began Markus, "This was what I was telling you about in the basement. You're about to see a lot of horrible things, Magdalene. And monsters…this place will be crawling with them…"

Magdalene closed her eyes and swallowed hard.

"I understand…" said Magdalene, "be strong and keep it together, right…?"

Markus smiled. "That a girl." He squeezed Magdalene's shoulders reassuringly, and kissed her on her forehead. "Just stay close to me… and have your weapon ready."

Magdalene pulled out her Japanese dagger, gripping it tightly. Markus smiled.

"Just make sure, you don't go stabbing Me by mistake…"

Magdalene, looked at Markus, then nodded in compliance. Markus then turned, with his heart in his throat, and slowly lead the way…


	11. Nurses, Slurpers, and Little Dead Birds

**A/N: Sorry for the delay in updates everyone, and I also apologize for this chapter being so short. I will try to post the next one soon, as it will involve the showdown between Leonard Wolf, and his son Markus. As always, DISCRETION IS ADVISED as the content of this story may be disturbing to some readers…**

Clutching the Japanese dagger in her hands, Magdalene Kreuz tightened her jaw and swallowed hard, as she followed close behind Markus through the slimy disgusting hallway. She kept looking from side to side, making sure she avoided brushing against the walls, as they navigated their way down the stairwell.

"Okay" spoke Magdalene, "where do we go from here?"

"I don't know" answered Markus, "but I'm sure there's a clue somewhere.…" He came to a halt when they reached the 3rd floor landing. "We'll start with this floor."

Markus looked back at Magdalene to see if she still had her weapon drawn. She readied her dagger and nodded to Markus, then he turned and opened the door. When they entered the 3rd floor, Magdalene immediately noticed the sudden change in atmosphere: the air was humid and reeked of blood, the entire hallway gave off a red florescent glow; and the checkered tile floor was now replaced with a red rusty mesh grating. Magdalene now realized that Markus' description of the Other World resembling 'Hell' was quite accurate.

Magdalene's thoughts however, were soon interrupted by the sound of footsteps, prompting Markus to pull out his revolver. As the footsteps grew louder, Magdalene stared into the hallway and noticed a slender silhouette hunched forward, as it clumsily made its way towards them. Within a few moments, the figure appeared in plain sight. Magdalene gasped when seeing that the slender figure looked like a human female! Her figure was very shapely and she wore a bloodstained nurse's uniform, cap, and an open blue knit sweater jacket. But what _really_ caught Magdalene's attention (other than the nurse's porn star-like physique) was the gigantic fleshy mass, or hump that was on the Nurse's back. It jiggled and glistened in the florescent red light, causing Magdalene to feel nauseous.

Just then, the nurse groaned loudly in a male-sounding voice. She lifted her head, and Magdalene cried out when seeing the Nurse's deformed, bloody face; blood seeped from its eyes, nose, mouth, and its skin looked gray and marble colored, like that of a decomposing corpse. Without warning, the Nurse rushed Markus and attempted to slash him with a scalpel. Markus barely dodged this attack as he opened fire on the thing. It cried out in its male voice before collapsing on the ground in violent convulsions. While it was down, Markus quickly stomped and kicked its fleshy hump, and it finally died with a loud male-sounding groan.

"Oh my god…" gasped Magdalene, staring in horror.

"I told you" spoke Markus in between breaths, "lots of monsters."

Just then, the radio blared loud garbled static, prompting Markus and Magdalene to make eye contact. Without a word, Markus grabbed Magdalene's wrist and pulled her roughly down the hall, as MORE of those demons made their presence known. Markus started trying door knobs as Magdalene readied her dagger, keeping watch. Her eyes widened in horror when seeing a small army of demon Nurses moving clumsily towards them from both ends of the hall. She noted that a few of the nurses were dragging long heavy looking pipes behind them, while some of them were armed with scalpels. And to Magdalene's horror, at least three of the nurses she saw, were carrying revolvers!

_SHIT!_

"Ahhh Markus…?" cried Magdalene.

But before she could finish, Markus got one of the doors open and pulled her inside. He barricaded the door behind them, as Magdalene leaned against the wall, trying to catch her breath. While doing this, she eventually noticed the room they took shelter in. It was covered in rust, mold, and grime from top to bottom, just like everything else. But what really caught Maggs' attention, was that the room was filled with hundreds of little white doves, mutilated! Even the ceiling was decorated with mutilated doves, cut neatly into little pieces. And each individual piece was suspended by slender metal spikes sticking out of the ceiling.

As she observed the gruesome collection, Markus noticed a flashlight, resting on the rickety soiled hospital bed. It had been left on, and its beam was shining on a poor little white dove, that was cut neatly into pieces, and arranged in a sick twisted pattern. Markus gnashed his teeth and silently collected the flashlight, as he fought to contain his anger.

_The doves_ Markus thought, _they were mother's favorite bird!_

Markus closed his eyes, in an attempt to control his emotions. His mother was such a gentle soul. She loved animals so much, and white doves were a particular favorite of hers. As a child, his mother often spoke to him of how doves symbolized many things to different people, but the greatest of these, was love. Markus opened his eyes, and studied the room in disgust. Was this someone's idea of a sick joke? Was someone or something trying to send him a message?

"Markus…" spoke Magdalene, "What is all of this, what does it mean?"

Markus looked at Magdalene, sternly. "What does it mean…?" he started, "…it means nothing! It's just a sick joke designed to rattle us…!"

Markus pulled the map out of his pocket and studied it under the flashlight.

"Damn it" muttered Markus, "why couldn't Vincent have been more specific..? My father could be anywhere in this hospital!"

Frustrated, Markus crumpled up the map in his fist, and threw it on the ground. It fell then rolled across the floor towards Magdalene, who silently observed Markus' anger . She looked at the crumpled map, then suddenly, it dawned on her.

"Markus" she spoke softly, "I know how horrible this suggestion might be…but close your eyes, take a deep breath, and think…if _you _were your father,where in this hospital would _you_ go to set a trap for someone ?"

Markus looked up at Magdalene and scowled at her, but his expression quickly faded, when it suddenly occurred to him_…_

"Come on!" shouted Markus as he retrieved the crumpled map, and unfolded it. "I know where my father is:"

"You do?" spoke Magdalene, hopeful, "Where's that?"

"The Morgue in the basement…! Come on if we move quickly, we can dodge those Nurses in the hallway…"

Magdalene joined Markus next to the door, weapon drawn. 'Me and my big mouth' she thought to herself, as she clutched the dagger, and waited for Markus to open the door. But before opening the door, Markus quickly glanced at the map, to see where both stairwells were located, as well as the elevator. Satisfied, he tucked the map back in and turned to Magdalene.

"Right" breathed Markus, "On the count of three: One-Two**- THREE**...!"

Markus opened the door and the two quickly burst out of the room, into the hallway, where the armed demon Nurses were waiting for them. Markus glanced from side to side, then forced Magdalene towards an open space where they could evade the mob.

"Down the hall to your right" shouted Markus, "get to the elevator!"

Magdalene nodded and started running as fast as she could towards the elevator, and Markus walked behind her, keeping his eyes and weapon trained on the Nurse demons. As Magdalene ran towards the elevator, she kept hearing this strange noise. It sounded like a combination of slurping and snorting…like the sound a pig makes. But Magdalene ignored it, and continued sprinting towards the elevator. When she reached the elevator door, she quickly hit the button several times, waiting impatiently for it to reach their floor. But as she waited for the elevator, the slurping/snorting noise grew louder, followed by a strange buzzing/humming noise.

Without warning, someone jumped Magdalene from behind, and shoved her to the ground on her stomach. Magdalene gasped, as the assailant crawled on top of her, pinning her to the ground, scratching, pulling and sucking on her. Magdalene gasped as she could feel the assailants' rotten smelling breath on her face, and those loud horrible noises, pouring in her ear. She tried to cry out for help, but the assailant pinned her down with such force, she could scarcely breathe. All Magdalene could do was hold onto her dagger, and try to stab whoever was attacking her. Magdalene twisted and struggled underneath her assailant, until she finally managed to turn around. Without even thinking, Magdalene stabbed the assailant repeatedly with her dagger, and finally mustered enough strength to cry for help. Markus turned, then quickly rushed over and began firing his revolver. The assailant jumped back, grunting in pain as he slid off of Magdalene. And when the elevator finally opened its doors, its faint light revealed to Magdalene, that her assailant was NOT a person at all, but a grotesque leathery Half-Human Half-Aardvark type monster. Magdalene felt sick, but the "Slurper-monster" started twitching and convulsing again, so she repeatedly stabbed the thing until it moved no more.

Markus rushed to Magdalene's side and quickly helped her up off the ground, and led her into the creepy elevator (whose solid walls were _also_ replaced with rusty red grating). He hit the button marked: BF and they stood in silence as the elevator carried them to their destination. When the doors opened, they were both relieved to find a silent, empty hallway. Magdalene started to leave when Markus stopped her.

"Are you okay Maggs" he asked.

"I'm fine" Maggs answered with a brave smile. She touched his hand on her shoulder, reassuringly. "Honest!…I think I'm actually starting to get used to this…" She chuckled. "I don't know if that's a good thing or bad thing. Do you…?"

Markus smiled at her sympathetically, as he checked the map. "Right…according to this, we go left, all the way down to the end of the hall. It'll be the last door on the left."

Maggs nodded and the two cautiously made their way down to the end, convinced that their ordeal was nearly over. But they were wrong. What they found, instead, was the entrance to the morgue…sealed shut. The door contained Five square holes the size of a fist: There was one on top, then three square holes underneath the first, and finally, one lone hole underneath the three. Together, these 5 holes created a diamond pattern on the door, and it was accompanied by a strange little story written in blood… It was a puzzle.

**"_The Four Horrors:_**

**_There once was a man. A good man. Who was so grief-stricken from loss that he was driven to commit unthinkable acts, all in the name of love. But his actions, however, begot terrors MORE HORRIFYING than the acts he committed, in order to reclaim that which he had lost. Proof that the End is sometimes Far Worse than the Means…"_**

"My god" spoke Magdalene, "what is this, some kind of puzzle?"

"Yes" spoke Markus annoyed, "this town is Famous for its puzzles…Great!"

Markus pounded his fist against the door in frustration. The last thing he wanted was to go on a scavenger hunt, looking for ridiculous keys and/or objects, All for the purpose of completing some vague disturbing puzzle. But it looked as though they had no choice. Markus sighed and turned his attention to Magdalene. If nothing else, this puzzle was at least an indication that they were on the right path.

"We're going to have to go back up there…" said Markus in a bitter tone, "…and search for those damned square pieces to complete this puzzle and unlock this door." He looked at Magdalene, feeling hopeless. "I'm sorry Maggs… I was hoping I could end this sooner."

Markus sighed tearing his gaze away from Magdalene as she stared at him, sympathetically. He rubbed his tired eyes, but looked up when he felt Magdalene's hand on his shoulder. Her lips formed into a warm smile.

"It'll be okay" she spoke, "we'll find those pieces Markus…"

Markus looked at Maggs and smiled, tiredly. "Well then" spoke Markus, "I guess we better get started…"

**A/N: Once again I apologize for the chapter being so short, but I hope you enjoyed it none the less. **


	12. Deathrattle: The Acolyte and the Butcher

**A/N: I apologize for the long delay in posting, but I thank those of you for the kind words and support via messages. This chapter's dedicated to you. The story so far: Trapped in the Other World hospital, Markus and Magdalene fight to stay alive, and locate a series of keys to unlock a door that leads to freedom or certain death…**

**WARNING : The following content may be violent and disturbing to some readers. Discretion is ADVISED.**

Before leaving the basement level, Markus and Magdalene searched the area for keys and supplies. Though only two other rooms were open, their search was rewarded with more shotgun ammo, a First Aid kit, and a key to the Nurse's Station. Markus studied the key with the help of his flashlight, and decided that the Nurse's Station was as good as any place to start searching. But just as they were leaving one of the rooms, Magdalene felt strangely drawn to a hot pink-colored stethoscope; despite the look Markus gave her, Magdalene pocketed the stethoscope, arguing that it may come in handy.

Struggling with fatigue and their own private thoughts, the two rode the rusty elevator in silence. Markus stared at the ceiling feeling his stomach turn, as he contemplated the prospect of killing his own father. As much as he hated Leonard, Markus still agonized over this grizzly task; in spite everything, all the years of terror and abuse, Leonard Wolf was _still_ his father. And what of Claudia, Markus wondered, How would _she_ respond? Would she understand and forgive him for his actions? Or would her conditioned loyalty to family drive Claudia to hate him forever? Markus did not know, but as he played out the different outcomes in his mind, he didn't notice Magdalene staring at him with an expression of deep longing.

'_God he's so beautiful' _Maggs thought to herself, _'and I'm an idiot for letting myself have feelings for him…'_

Hugging herself tightly, Magdalene sighed, not knowing what frightened her more: the fact that she was falling in love with Markus…a stranger she knew little about, who could very well turn out to be an angry, abusive man like his father… OR the fact that she was falling in love with Markus, and that he may NOT even feel the same way towards her. This was stupid. And SHE felt stupid for even dwelling on this. Magdalene closed her eyes and swallowed her tears, trying to convince herself that everything would be fine. That they just had to survive this nightmare, and it would all work out in the end. Yea… right.

Eventually, the elevator came to a rough stop, jostling the pair back into an unpleasant reality. They quickly exited the elevator, and navigated through the dark, mold encrusted hallway. With care and caution, Markus and Magdalene felt their way through the darkness, exploring any room that wasn't sealed shut. Some of the rooms yielded bullets and health drinks, while others were filled with scalpel wielding Nurses that tried to attack them. For the most part, the two avoided combat as much as possible and just focused their efforts on locating those square plates.

_The First Plate: _a reddish-brown colored stone plate, _"Plate of Man" _was the easiest to find. Magdalene noticed it just lying on an instrument table inside the Operation Prep room. Further inspection of the room, produced an X-ray with the numbers: '1983' etched into it. Markus memorized the number before they resumed their search in the hallway.

_The Second Plate: _a shiny silver stone Hematite plate, _"Plate of Cat" _was found in the Nurse's Station, along with a most disturbing site.

In the middle of the room, was a grimy, yellow discolored claw foot bathtub, covered in dried blood, containing a shotgun. Markus picked up the shotgun and checked its condition, but as he continued to inspect the weapon, Magdalene noticed something sparkle inside the drain. She reached in and carefully retrieved the object, which turned out to be a gold ring with a quarter carat marquise-shaped diamond in the center. Markus looked up and noticed the ring in Magdalene's hand. He suddenly felt himself go weak in the knees.

"Markus what's wrong" asked Magdalene. She watched as all the color seemed to drain from his face.

Markus swallowed hard. "…Maggs… Is there an inscription on that ring…?" Magdalene hesitated at first, but then she quickly searched the ring, and she did indeed find an inscription.

"Yes there is" Magdalene started, "It says: …With this ring, you are mine. Body and soul." Magdalene looked up, just in time to see the shotgun slip out of Markus' hands, as he stumbled backwards.

"Markus!"

She immediately rushed over to his side to keep him from falling. And as Markus leaned over the bathtub struggling to catch his breath, Magdalene attempted to comfort him. But Markus roughly grabbed her by the wrist and squeezed.

"Markus!" she gasped, "what are you doing? Stop!"

"That ring" seethed Markus, gnashing his teeth. His pale blue eyes were large and intense. "Get rid of it! PLEASE! Don't ask me why, just for God's sakes get it out of my sight!"

Magdalene stared at Markus, as she worked to pry his fingers off of her wrist. This and the look of wide-eyed agony in Markus' eyes, compelled her to quickly do as he said. Breaking away from Markus, she threw the ring across the room, and watched as it fell behind a rusty Medicine cabinet. Magdalene then turned her attention back to Markus, still leaning against the rusty tub, hyperventilating and fighting to control his emotions. She cautiously moved closer to him.

"Markus? Markus It's okay now. I got rid of it" she said. "It's okay…"

Markus looked up at Magdalene as she cautiously touched his shoulder. Seeing the panic in Magdalene's eyes and the marks on her wrist, caused Markus to feel ashamed for the way he reacted.

"I'm sorry Magdalene" he spoke softly, "that ring you found? … it was my..my mo-"

"Don't" interrupted Magdalene pressing her fingers to his lips, "It's okay. You don't have to explain yourself to me. I already know…"

"Yes but -"

"It's Okay. I understand…" insisted Magdalene.

She continued to rub Markus' shoulder and he stared at her, suddenly he felt himself warmed by her kindness. Magdalene stared deep into his eyes.

"We need to find those other plates" she spoke softly, as she squeezed Markus' shoulder. "Shall we continue now?"

Markus looked deep into Magdalene's eyes, then nodded with a brave smile. He slowly stood up, as Magdalene picked up the shotgun and handed it back to him. He checked it over once more, and was satisfied with its condition. After loading the shotgun, Markus reloaded his revolver and handed it to Magdalene.

"Think you can handle this weapon?" he asked, "It has a little more kick to it, than the handgun you were using earlier."

Magdalene felt the weight of the revolver in her hands, and nodded as she practiced aiming with it.

"I should be okay" assured Magdalene, "but I'll keep my dagger just in case."

"Good" nodded Markus, readying his shotgun. "Then let's move".

With renewed strength, Markus and Magdalene exited the Nurse's Station and resumed their search for the remaining keys. Their search eventually led them to a Nursery room at the end of the hall, where they could see _The Third Plate: (_a plate carved out of Mother-of-Pearl with the image of a toddler) "_Plate of Child", _resting inside one of the cribs. But they could not access it, at first, because the door to the Nursery was locked. It was powered by a numerical key pad, and they needed the code. Magdalene was about to walk away, when Markus suddenly remembered the date: "1983" etched into that X-Ray, they found earlier. He tried those numbers, and the door unlocked with a series of beeps.

When it finally opened, Magdalene stood outside and watched as Markus quickly ran inside, and grabbed the plate. He was about to dash back out, when he heard the sound of a small child crying. He looked back and noticed one of the other cribs contained a long, silk, rose-colored scarf. When he approached the crib and examined it, he found a video tape inside with a crude picture of an angel drawn onto it, with silver crayon. Intrigued, Markus took both items and exited the Nursery, then showed them to Magdalene. Magdalene's face turned pale, when she saw the silk scarf in his hands.

"Oh my God" spoke Magdalene with large eyes, "that's my scarf! What is it doing _here_?"

Markus witnessed the fear building inside of her, and he frantically wracked his brain to find the right words to calm her.

"I don't know Maggs" he spoke, "but calm down. I don't think it means anything."

"How can you be sure?" asked Magdalene still staring at the scarf, " I remember packing that scarf in my suitcase before I left Pittsburgh. It should still be in my suitcase, back at the car. What's it doing here? _What does it Mean?_"

"_I don't Know"_ snapped Markus grabbing her by the arms, causing her to gasp. "Panicking won't solve anything! Don't you see Magdalene, That's what this town wants!" He loosened his grip on her arms and continued. "The force here - it _wants_ you to be afraid…

"But the minute you give in" continued Markus "this town claims you…it takes you, gets inside of you, and then finally it destroys you….it destroys everything about you that makes you human…and beautiful…"

Magdalene bit her lip then nodded. "Is that why you brushed me off, when I asked you about those white doves in the one room?"

Markus hesitated. "Yes Maggs" he answered finally, "that's why."

Suddenly, there was a 'crashing' sound at the opposite end of the hallway, so loud, that it caused both Markus and Magdalene to jump. This was immediately followed by the sound of heavy breathing, and loud heavy footsteps that drew close to them. Magdalene trained the revolver towards the source of the noise, as Markus aimed the flashlight in the same direction . But the loud footsteps suddenly stopped, and the hallway became silent once more.

"What should we do" whispered Magdalene, "should we stay and fight? Or make a run for it?"

Markus glanced behind them, and observed the stairwell just a few feet away. He leaned in close to Magdalene and whispered in her ear.

"No" he whispered, "the stairwell's right behind us. Just slowly start backing up, and don't make a sound."

Magdalene nodded and followed Markus' instructions. But their efforts to leave quietly, proved fruitless as the footsteps resumed, and their radio suddenly came to life with earsplitting static. Markus dashed towards the stairwell door, when he heard Magdalene scream. He turned back and saw that she was frozen in horror, training her weapon on a gigantic disgusting creature, that resembled a grey deformed Sumo wrestler. Magdalene tried to shoot the thing, but she was too frightened and too traumatized from her earlier encounter with the creature.

The sumo creature (the Cancer), sensed Magdalene's presence and charged towards her, but Markus quickly grabbed her by the waist and pulled her out of the creature's deadly path. Markus then proceeded to force Magdalene into the stairwell, slamming the door behind them, just as the thing crashed into the wall with a thunderous bang!

The pair stood on the landing, trying to catch their breaths. As they did this, Magdalene found herself both frightened, yet mystified by their new surroundings. The stairwell was surprisingly well lit, revealing walls that seemed to be covered in bloody gore and grime; this 'grime' seemed to pulsate as if it had a life of its own. The air was humid and saturated with the smell of blood, and there were loud sounds that filled the room: one of them sounded like the slow beating of a human heart, and the other, the sound of a valve turning, seemed to be coming from above them.

Looking up, Magdalene cried out when she saw a deformed looking man…_was it a man? Or was it a monster?_… operating a series of valves, and standing in a position that defied both logic and gravity.

"Jesus" cried Magdalene, "what the hell IS that thing?"

Markus looked up and saw the deformed man/monster, working the valves. The valves appeared connected to a series of giant pipes, that pulsated and spread throughout the stairwell, like giant arteries. Markus also observed more white dove corpses, suspended in mid air with barbed-wire, and some oblong cages, containing human decomposing corpses.

"I think…" started Markus, "I think it's Valtiel."

"Who?"

"Valtiel" answered Markus. " Our bible describes him as a kind of 'Acolyte' to God. He tends to her needs and maintains order in the Other World…" Markus hesitated. "Many of us have also witnessed Valtiel, on occasion, collect bodies of the dead… as well as the dying…"

"My god" cringed Magdalene, "what does he do with them?"

"I don't know" spoke Markus, shifting uncomfortably, "and I don't want to know. Let's get out of this area and search the 1st floor."

"Okay."

Without another word, the pair made a hasty retreat down the stairs, and quickly exited through a door, marked: 1F. But upon entering the 1ST floor, Markus and Magdalene were attacked by two Nurses waiting on opposite sides of the door, as well as a Slurper Monster. One of the Nurses lunged at Markus, cutting him in the forehead with her scalpel. As Magdalene managed to slip away to a safe distance, the two Nurses and the Slurper monster swiftly closed in on Markus, despite his efforts to knock them back. Raising her weapon, Magdalene muttered a small prayer _to her god_, and started firing.

To her astonishment, Magdalene was able to shoot one of the Nurses in the head, killing it instantly, and wound both the Slurper and the other Nurse, giving Markus the upper hand. Markus dispatched both enemies, as Magdalene rushed up to him. She saw the cut on his forehead, and she felt sick inside.

"You okay Markus? I'm so sorry" spoke Magdalene, as she rummaged through her purse for one of the first aid kits. "I didn't mean to slip off like that, I kind of panicked." She removed some cotton and bandages from the kit.

"What are you talking about, Maggs? You saved my life." Markus took the items from Magdalene's hand and doctored the cut himself. "Don't worry, you're doing good".

"I hope so" she said, as she watched Markus apply the bandage then check the hospital map. "So where do we go next, any ideas?"

"None" answered Markus, tucking the map back in his pocket. "Just start opening doors."

Their search of the 1st floor was, unfortunately, simple. Nearly all the door knobs in the hallway (except for the Kitchen and Medicine Room), were broken. The door to the Kitchen was locked and needed a key. So Markus led Magdalene to the Medicine room, which opened into the Exam Room, and _finally_ the Doctor's Office, which contained a small safe in the middle of the room. Markus and Magdalene exchanged looks. Neither one of them knew the safe combination, nor did they recall any codes or messages that 'stuck out' in their search of the previous floors. Suddenly it dawned on Magdalene.

_The stethoscope!_

She quickly began rummaging through her shoulder bag, until she produced the hot pink stethoscope that Markus scoffed at earlier.

"Ha! I _knew_ something was up with this thing. I had a feeling…" She examined the item in her hand, and then looked up at Markus. "Do you want to do the honors?"

Markus stared at the hot pink stethoscope, and gave Magdalene a cock-eyed look. There was no way -in Hell- he was putting that thing on.

"Sorry" Markus spoke flatly, "but Pink isn't my color".

Magdalene stared at Markus, puzzled, but then her lips formed into a tight smile.

"Suit yourself" she said.

Putting the stethoscope on, she knelt down and proceeded to work on the safe. After 20 minutes of trial and error, Magdalene was able to crack open the safe. Inside, they found _The Fourth Plate: a Ruby gemstone plate, with the figure of a half-naked woman carved in it 'PLATE OF LOVER'_, as well as another Ampoule and the Kitchen Key.

Once again, the two felt giddy with hope. They only had one plate left to find, and surely the Kitchen was somehow connected to finding that missing piece. So without a word, the pair quickly retraced their steps back into the hall where they started, and frantically began unlocking the door. When they managed to get it open, the two were greeted by a horrifying site.

Inside the small, cramped, bloody kitchen, was a Demon Nurse, hanging on a meat hook by her bound wrists. At first, Markus and Magdalene did not know what to make of this site, until they heard the sound of a large blade dragging on the tile floor. Magdalene gasped, when seeing a monstrous hulk of a man, approach the bound Nurse. The man, Maggs noted, appeared naked, save for a yellow blood-stained leather apron that covered his chest and genitals. His skin tone was grey and purplish and what little of his face was exposed, appeared featureless.

Markus grabbed Magdalene's wrist, preparing to turn around and leave, when the man (The BUTCHER) approached the Demon Nurse, and proceeded to slit the hapless creature open from the middle, then allowing her organs and entrails to spill out onto the floor. Magdalene cried out as Markus immediately turned to open the door, only to find it was locked! Hearing the commotion, the Butcher looked up and spotted the pair.

"Get your weapon ready!" ordered Markus, as he raised his shotgun, preparing to fire. "When I give you the signal Maggs" he continued, "I want you to run to the opposite side, got it?"

"Got it" answered Magdalene, training the revolver on the Butcher.

With frightening speed, the Butcher paced quickly towards the pair, dragging its blade behind. Magdalene gripped the revolver tightly, feeling her heart threatening to beat out of her chest, as the Butcher drew closer. And just when the thing was only inches away, it lifted its blade, about to strike.

"_NOW!"_ shouted Markus.

Magdalene dashed to the opposite side of the room, just as the blade came crashing down. Markus opened fire on the Butcher, causing the thing to come closer to him. While his shotgun seemed to knock the Butcher, backwards, the thing still forced its way towards Markus, lifting its blade to strike him. And that's when Magdalene opened fire from across the room, nailing the Butcher in the side of the head, shoulders and back. The Butcher groaned, then turned its attention to Magdalene and started pacing towards her. As this happened, Markus quickly reloaded the shotgun, as Magdalene ran out of bullets.

"Markus!" she screamed, as the Butcher reached out to grab her with his free hand.

She avoided his grasp, but slipped on a pool of blood, hitting the ground hard. The fall, knocked the wind out of Magdalene, and she forced her way through the pain, knowing the creature was right behind her. She tried crawling away, but the Butcher grabbed her by the ankle and pulled her back towards him. Magdalene screamed, trying to hold onto the leg of a table to prevent the Butcher from picking her up. But instead, the thing let go of her ankle, and readied his blade to cut her in half. That's when Markus rushed up to the creature and began blasting it in the chest, at point blank range. The Butcher fell back, and hit the ground with such force, the entire kitchen seemed to shudder. Magdalene pushed herself away from the thing, and frantically began reloading her revolver, as Markus clutched his shotgun and kept watch, breathing heavily. Within a matter of moments, the Butcher stirred, forcing its way back up. By this time, however, Magdalene managed to reload her weapon, and she emptied her revolver into the Butcher's chest and stomach. When her revolver clicked empty, Markus rushed over to the Butcher and snatched up its blade, then buried the large knife deep into its neck. Killing it.

For a long time the two did not move a muscle. The remained frozen in place, staring at the Butcher's body, waiting for it to stir. But it did not. Eventually, they breathed a sigh of relief. Magdalene got up and dusted herself off as Markus quickly searched the room for the plate.

"Damn it!" shouted Markus, "where the hell is that plate? Don't tell me we went through all this, for nothing…!" But suddenly, he remembered his fight with the Missionary, and how he found Magdalene's hair piece on its body.

"I wonder…"

Exhausted and on the verge of burnout, Magdalene watched as Markus rushed over and started searching the Butcher's body. Sure enough, Markus found the _The Final Plate: a moss agate plate with the image of a skull carved on it 'PLATE OF CORPSE'._

Markus and Magdalene exchanged tired smiles. They did it. They found all 5 plates. Now they could proceed to the basement, and may be now their nightmare would soon be over…


	13. Monster Daddy ptI : Not Tomorrow 2

**A/N: The story so far: Markus and Magdalene have located all five pieces of the puzzle, and now they must confront Leonard Wolf. WARNING: The following contains content that may be violent and disturbing to some readers. READER'S DISCRETION is advised… **

Magdalene suddenly became light-headed, seeing the final puzzle plate in Markus' hands. She felt overwhelmed with emotion. _Could it be… _she thought, …_could this nightmare soon be over?_

"I can't believe it" breathed Magdalene, "we did it…we found all the pieces!"

As Magdalene took deep breaths to clear her head, Markus looked at her and frowned. Yes… he thought, they _had_ located all five pieces to the puzzle. But now they had the ugly task of confronting Leonard Wolf. He turned his back to Magdalene, and tried hiding the ever growing angst building up inside him. It was absurd really, but even now in spite of their situation, Markus dreaded the thought of facing his father. Inhaling deeply, Markus ran his fingers through his short black hair, feeling warmer with every passing second.

_Damn it Markus, you can do this…for once in your wretched life, Be a man and Stand up to Him!_

He finally exhaled, realizing that it wasn't just _his_ life that was in danger, it was Magdalene's life, as well. Markus gripped his shotgun tightly, now resolving to face his demons and put an end to this nightmare. For Magdalene's sake, if not his own. Turning around, he handed Magdalene the last puzzle piece, and then proceeded to lead the way. But when he exited the kitchen, Markus suddenly stopped in the middle of the hallway and looked around. He didn't know 'why' but something felt wrong.

"What is it" asked Magdalene staying close to his side.

"I don't know" answered Markus, lifting his shotgun, "but something's not right, I can feel it in the air…"

Magdalene studied their surroundings. Nothing _appeared_ different, but for some reason she did find herself sharing Markus' sudden apprehension. Nerves, she thought to herself, just nerves. They were both tired, and perhaps, even anxious over the inevitable showdown with Leonard Wolf. Magdalene desperately tried to convince herself of this, but that's when she noticed a fresh trail of blood on the floor, leading to a large puddle, half way down the hall.

"Look" she pointed, "over there."

The two jogged quickly towards the puddle of blood, and discovered a large piece of construction paper in the middle of it. Markus knelt down, and picked it up. The paper itself, was discolored and slightly damp from the blood. But what really disturbed Markus, was the crude child-like drawing, depicting many small children (some dead, others crying); they all surrounded a crying lady with long black hair being grabbed and pulled apart by, what looked like, octopus tentacles. He also noted that the lady's blood was shown draining into some kind of giant mouth with human teeth. Underneath the picture, written crudely in red crayon, were the words:

'_**FEEDING TIME!'**_

Markus dropped the picture back on the ground. Seeing it made him feel cold all over, and he looked up at Magdalene and saw her standing over his shoulder, with an uneasy expression. She had seen the picture as well.

"Is this another scare tactic?" Magdalene asked. Her anxious tone was barely audible. Markus swallowed hard.

"Yes" he answered, squeezing her hand, "but don't let it frighten you. We just need to be careful. Whatever happens, we can handle it so long as we stay alert."

Magdalene looked at Markus and finally nodded.

"I guess you're right…" she said, although her expression was still angst-ridden. " But I think we better hurry before I lose my nerve…"

Markus nodded in agreement. They jogged to the end of the hall and entered the elevator, taking it down to the Basement Level. The ride itself, only lasted 30-40 seconds, but for Markus and Magdalene, those seconds seemed to stretch for an eternity. As the elevator slowly made its way down, Magdalene stared intently at Markus. She could see the turmoil in his face, and immediately knew what he was thinking. She did not envy the position he was in at all.

"Markus" she called out softly.

Markus looked up, making eye contact with her. He suddenly felt himself taken back by the sudden calm in Magdalene's demeanor. Her complexion was pale, and her clothes were dirty, torn, and speckled with blood. And although her expression was a mixture of fear and exhaustion, her face also seemed to radiate great warmth and kindness, especially in the eyes.

"Whatever happens Markus…I mean…whatever you decide to do…? I just want you to know, you have my support."

Magdalene spoke these words with a tired smile, as Markus stared at her from across the elevator. In this moment, she seemed more lovely and precious to him, than anything in the world.

'_This is crazy!' _Markus thought to himself, '_How can I have feelings for someone I hardly know?'_

Markus gnashed his teeth. It was insane, he thought, to think that a woman like Magdalene could ever love him, or want to love him. After all the horror and agony his father put her through, how could he ever expect Magdalene to see past that and still embrace him? Markus lowered his gaze towards the bloodstained elevator floor, sighing. What's more… Markus had very little [if any] experience with women. The closest he ever came to 'dating' someone, was when he was forced to take Anna Wilson, an elder's daughter, out to dinner once at Café Sun. She was a thin, skeleton of a girl, mean, spiteful and unattractive with bad breath.

But past experiences aside, Magdalene was also a stranger…a stranger he knew very little about. Their only connection was one lone cold December night, when Markus just happened to catch a fleeting glimpse of her when they were children…and now, for reasons unknown, she has returned to Silent Hill and come back into his life…A damsel in distress. Markus looked up and studied Magdalene's face, which now seemed more lovely to him, than ever before. He smiled. Markus knew so little about her, and yet…he could not bear the thought of losing her. But this realization, however, caused Markus' smile to fade, and he suddenly felt scared.

_If only there was some way I could protect her… _

But Markus feared that, even if he _could_ secure a safe place for Magdalene to hide, there would be nothing to prevent Leonard or someone else from kidnapping her again. He suddenly felt cold, as the memory of his father beating her, replayed in his mind. It was the sudden jolt of the elevator coming to a halt, that finally brought Markus back to the present.

"We're here" Magdalene spoke, "…guess there's no going back".

Markus stared at Magdalene's forced bravery and swallowed hard.

"Right" Markus muttered, "let's get this over with".

The two quickly navigated their way back to the morgue entrance, locked with the strange riddle on it. Magdalene removed all the plates from her purse, and the pair took turns trying to place each piece in the right order. It took little over 25 minutes, but they eventually solved the puzzle and unlocked the door. As soon as they heard the door unlock, Markus readied his shotgun, and Magdalene checked her revolver. Before Markus opened the door, however, he leaned over to Magdalene and whispered in her ear.

"Right Maggs…I want you to stay close" he whispered, "but if anything should happen to me…I want you to get away as quickly as possible."

"What?" Magdalene whispered back in astonishment, "No! I'm not abandoning you…!"

"Damn it Magdalene" hissed Markus. He grabbed her arm, causing her to gasp. "Don't argue with me! If something happens, I want you to run. Don't worry about me…!"

Magdalene did not respond to this. Instead, she just stared at him, as he let go of her arm, and turned to open the door. The two slowly entered, and were greeted by a seemingly empty room.

Markus gripped the shotgun as he and Magdalene were immediately struck by the morgue's strange layout: the room's dimension was unusually spacious, it was very well lit (unlike the rest of the hospital), and there were hundreds of these strange looking mason jars, filled with yellow liquid, hanging from the ceiling by wire. The jars of yellow liquid cast a warm transparent glow, due to the lighting in the room . Markus and Magdalene, stared at one another, both confused and disturbed by what they were looking at. In addition to the lighting and hanging jars, they both noted a giant hole in the mesh floor grating, near the center of the room. Had it not been for the rusty blood-stained cadaver drawers on the walls, and the one autopsy table bolted to the floor, This room would not have resembled a morgue at all.

"Great" spoke Magdalene softly, "what happens now?"

At that moment, the entrance to the morgue slammed shut, causing both Markus and Magdalene to jump. Markus scanned their surroundings, and eventually noticed a tall, lone figure, standing in the corner near the entrance, facing the wall. The blonde figure, dressed in a tight-fitting black robe, stood rigid like a statue and appeared to be holding something.

"So you've finally come" spoke Leonard, his back still turned to them, "And I see you brought _her_ along with you."

Magdalene looked to Markus, and became frightened when she saw that he too was now frozen like a statue, with an expression of wide-eyed terror on his face. Not knowing what to do, Magdalene gripped Markus' shoulder and whispered frantically in his ear.

"_Markus?" _she whispered, _"Markus for god's sakes do something! Snap out of it!"_

But Markus could not move or speak, as a flood of memories and emotions suddenly gripped his heart and paralyzed him. He struggled to fight and suppress it, but the images were too powerful. They forced themselves to the surface, and caused Markus to relive all the agonizing sensations: hungry, cold, agony, crying, belt, knives, torture, blood, drowning, screaming, murder, blood, mommy, water, blood…

… the shotgun in Markus' hands shook violently as he stared in his father's direction. Leonard turned around to face them and triumphantly sneered, upon seeing his son's terror.

"It's no use harlot" smirked Leonard, "my son can not help you." His voice was dripping with contempt.

"and do you know why that is…?" Leonard continued, "It's because my son is a sniveling coward that's why!…Weak…useless…and disobedient… Unworthy of god's salvation. Just like his mother…!"

Leonard slowly began to approach them, and Magdalene noticed he was now wearing a large strange looking medallion around his neck. She couldn't tell what the symbol meant, but from the distance, it looked like a weird triangle with an eye inside it. However, the thing that _really_ got Magdalene's attention, was the large, ornate machete-like blade in Leonard's hands. Because of her experience with antiques, Magdalene quickly identified the weapon as a cutlass sword. Leonard Wolf, stepped forward.

"The world is teeming with unnecessary people" spoke Leonard scornfully, " people like you and my son…" he slowly began to raise the cutlass sword. "_It is God's decision that I fight!… 'I' was chosen by God Herself! …TO BE A KINGHT! A DEFENDER OF THE SEAL!"_

"_Markus please!"_ begged Magdalene, now shaking him, but he was still paralyzed by fear. _"Markus…Wake UP!" _She was now struggling to suppress tears of fright, as Leonard drew closer to them.

"_Markus Wake Up!"_

"_SILENCE WITCH" _commanded Leonard, pointing the cutlass at her, "I've tolerated your noise long enough! _YOU are unworthy of God's Mercy!" _

Leonard paused, raising his weapon. "Only those who Harken to the voice of God…shall be given the keys to paradise.. As a knight god…I condemn you both to an ever lasting FIREY HELL!"

With those words, Leonard Wolf charged madly towards Markus, raising his weapon to cut him down. But at the very last second, Magdalene shoved Markus out of the way, and tried to wrestle the cutlass out of Leonard's grasp. Markus hit the ground hard, and the sudden impact snapped him out of his trance. But as he attempted to lift himself back up, Markus heard the sword drop on the floor with a loud clang, and then he heard a blood-curdling scream.

_Oh my god, no…_

Markus strained his neck to look up and saw to his horror… Magdalene, doubled over in pain, clutching her stomach as it bled profusely. The pair made eye contact. Markus felt utterly nauseated with guilt and shame, as he stared deep into Magdalene's lovely sea-green eyes… now large with agony and fright. She moved her lips to speak, but all Magdalene could do was gasp for air and struggle to remain standing. Leonard Wolf stood in front of her, clutching a ceremonial dagger soaked in blood. In that instant, Markus realized what just happened…

Leonard, his own father, tried to kill him, but Magdalene pushed him out of the way. She managed to wrestle the sword out of Leonard's hand, but he had the ceremonial dagger, concealed in his robe. Once Magdalene was distracted by the cutlass sword, Leonard Wolf struck; sinking his dagger, deep into Magdalene's stomach.

Leonard smirked as he watched poor Magdalene stagger backwards, trying to get away from him. Tightening his grip on the dagger, Leonard stalked towards her, preparing to finish her off. But Magdalene saw him coming and she desperately tried to back away from him. Markus stared, dumbfounded, as Magdalene struggled to lift up her revolver with one hand, while clutching her stomach with the other. She fired, but missed, hitting one of the hanging mason jars instead. The jar exploded over Leonard Wolf, showering him with yellow liquid and shards of glass. Suddenly, Leonard froze and began screaming in pain as he clutched his face and head, now smoking as though on fire.

Markus forced himself back on his feet, and watched as the acidic liquid from the jar, burned his father's flesh, and caused part of his clothes to melt away. Eventually, Leonard Wolf, lifted his head, revealing a grotesque, melted mutilated face; prompting Magdalene to lift up her revolver, and fire again. But Leonard Wolf rushed up to her and knocked the revolver out her hand. He then latched on to Magdalene with one arm, pulling her against him, and then readied his dagger to cut her throat as she struggled and screamed.

Enraged, Markus cried out as he rushed over and tackled his father from behind, attempting to pin him down to the floor. But in that instant, Leonard, with all his strength, shoved Magdalene backwards, propelling her towards the edge of the pit. Dazed from blood loss and excruciating pain, Magdalene lost her balance, and she plummeted over the edge and into the darkness, screaming, just as Markus straddled his father. Leonard chuckled cruelly.

"You lose boy" chuckled Leonard triumphantly, "your little whore's good as dead…"

**A/N: To be continued….**


	14. Monster Daddy ptII: The Acid Horse

**A/N: WARNING: The following contains coars language, and graphic depictions of violence and cruelty. Discretion is ADVISED!**

"_**NO"**_ Markus cried, pinning his father down to the ground. He tossed the dagger towards the pit, but even as he did this, Markus felt as though his stomach had been ripped open and his entrails removed.

Magdalene… his _Angel_… gone. And it was all his fault.

Markus' body began to shake with anger. He gripped and squeezed his father's throat, as tears of anguish streamed down his ashen face.

"_I'LL KILL YOU FOR THIS, YOU SON OF A BITCH!…I'LL -%&#-ING- KILL YOU!"_

Blind with rage, he choked and throttled his father, bouncing his head off the floor repeatedly. But Leonard Wolf, despite his injuries, was alarmingly strong. He was able to break away from his son, and gain the upper hand. Once he was free, Leonard quickly incapacitated Markus with a series of powerful punches to the face, the stomach, and several hard kicks to the ribs.

Markus, dazed from Leonard's blows, struggled to get up off his hands and knees, but he suddenly felt some sort of chord, wrap around his throat, choking him. He gasped and struggled, as Leonard Wolf now used the thin belt from his robe, to strangle him. While Markus thrashed and pulled at the make-shift garrote, Leonard, drew closer to his face, wanting to savor his son's suffering.

"I should have done this a long time ago…" growled Leonard, tightening the chord around Markus' throat.

"Ungrateful insect…how DARE you choose an outsider over your own people…you make me _sick…!" _

Markus gasped and choked, fighting desperately to break free, but Leonard pulled the chord back even tighter, knocking him off balance. Markus fell backwards, and his vision grew dark as he became disoriented. Seeing that his body was becoming limp, Leonard dragged Markus on the floor towards the pit, using the chord. It was only when they reached the pit's edge, that Leonard finally released the chord, and left Markus to cough and gag.

At first, Leonard stood motionless over Markus, who was coughing and struggling to breathe, but then he kicked him twice in the stomach, and once in the face. Markus continued to cough and gasp as he lay on his stomach, spitting out blood over the edge of the pit. Leonard then knelt down and looked upon Markus' pathetic form, shaking his head in disgust.

"Miserable waste of life… I should have left you at Wish House where I found you!… I should have… I should h_a-aaah!_.."

Suddenly, Leonard staggered backwards, and doubled over in pain as he tried to touch his arms and face. Markus lifted his head up and studied Leonard's disgusting, mutilated form in the light. As his vision slowly cleared, Markus could see the acid had completely melted and burned Leonard's face, torso, and hands; making him look more monster than human.. But somehow, the acid did not affect his large medallion: the Seal of Metatron.

Markus continued studying his father, and observed him fighting through his pain. He then bent forward to pick something up, a large shard of glass from a shattered mason jar. Leonard gripped the glass shard, tight in hands like a knife, and he didn't seem to care that the glass was cutting his deteriorating fingers, causing them to bleed even more. Instead, Leonard turned his attention to Markus, who was now struggling to get back up to defend himself. Seeing the glass shard prompted him to struggle to reach his father's ceremonial dagger, but Leonard was too quick. He brought his foot down on Markus' fingers, nearly crushing them. Markus gasped, stifling his cry, even as Leonard Wolf grabbed him by his hair and pressed the jagged glass against his throat.

"You were a mistake" snarled Leonard, "… but now…you can burn hell along with your little whore…"

Leonard applied more pressure to Markus' throat, but he was suddenly interrupted by the sound of someone entering the room. Leonard let go of Markus, and quickly spun around to see who it was. He narrowed his eyes when seeing Vincent standing by the door, with a small bible in his hand.

"YOU!" shouted Leonard, "What are you doing here?"

But Vincent did not answer. It was clear from the wide eyed expression on his young face, that he was visibly horror-struck by Leonard Wolf's appearance. Vincent gripped his bible with both hands, and held it out in front of him like a shield.

"E-elder-elder Wolf…" stuttered Vincent, "…w-what's going on?"

"DON'T play innocent with ME boy" growled Leonard, "… I know why you've come here! You think I'm stupid…?"

He stepped away from Markus and moved forward, waving the glass shard, as he stumbled menacingly towards Vincent's direction.

"I've known for quite some time, you and the others' plan to get rid of me. _DAMNED HYPOCRITES, ALL OF YOU!_

"You and my so-called peers… who claim to know God's will…_NONE OF YOU KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO SERVE GOD…!"_

Leonard raised the glass shard in his hand, and was about to lunge at Vincent, but suddenly, he stopped and began screaming in pain. Vincent quickly backed himself against the cadaver storage units, and as he did this, he discovered _why_ Leonard was screaming. Markus had managed to grab the ceremonial dagger, while Leonard was distracted, and he was now stabbing his father repeatedly in the spine, again and again, until he fell to his knees. Despite the pain, Leonard tried to slash Markus with his weapon, but Markus shoved him down with all his strength. As his father continued to scream and twist on the ground, Markus ran to pick up the revolver he had given to Magdalene. After he retrieved the weapon, Markus trained the revolver on Leonard's head. The hatred he felt for his father was all consuming. And yet, in spite of this, the revolver shook in Markus' hands. He could not pull the trigger.

"Damn it Markus, what are you waiting for ?" cried Vincent, "Do it! Do it NOW! Send that charlatan to Hell !"

Markus looked at Vincent, and then he looked at his father, writhing on the floor in agony. In that brief instant, hatred got the better of Markus, and he aimed his weapon, not on Leonard, but on one of the jars of acid hanging above him. Markus fired the revolver, and once again, Leonard Wolf was bathed in a shower of acid and glass. Vincent dropped his bible and fell back against the wall, mortified by what he was seeing.

Leonard Wolf thrashed about the floor, screaming like an animal, as (what was left of his flesh) seemed to melt away in a puddle of red. Markus never took his eyes off his father as this happened, but when Leonard's cries died down, Markus eventually fell to his knees, a broken man. The horror of what he had done, finally caught up with him. Leonard Wolf eventually stopped moving, and slipped into unconsciousness.

"oh god…" whispered Markus, noticing for the first time, that his hands and his grey shirt, were soaked in Leonard's blood.

"…what have I become…?"

Unable to look at his father anymore, he focused his attention on the revolver in his hands. He studied it, blocking everything else out, as sorrow and disgust gripped his heart.

_Magdalene…. I'm so sorry…_

Slowly, he became aware of the sound of doors opening and closing, and the sound of footsteps entering the room. At first, Markus tried to ignore this, but he eventually glanced up from the revolver and observed six men, dressed in dark robes, wearing masks that resembled the face of the horned god: Sameal. The men paused to look at Markus, and then they quickly encircled Leonard Wolf's unconscious form. One of the men knelt down to study Leonard, who groaned when the figure touched him. The robed figure glanced up at his associates.

"He still breathes" the figure spoke.

The others who remained standing, moved in closer to examine Leonard Wolf. There was a long moment of silence.

"Very well" spoke one of the men, "let's take him…"

Without a word, four of the men lifted Leonard Wolf up off the floor, and carried him while two others held the doors wide open. After the robed figures left the room with Leonard, Vincent picked up his bible, and slowly approached Markus with care and caution. Seeing the blood on his arms and shirt, made Vincent sick to his stomach.

"Markus…?" Vincent spoke softly, "…we have to go now. Where's Magdalene…?"

Markus looked up from the revolver and glared at Vincent, causing the young boy to hesitate. _What the hell happened_ Vincent asked himself, glancing throughout the room. It was only when he spotted Magdalene's large shoulder bag, lying off to the side, that he suddenly knew…and in that instant, he was overcome with pity for Markus, in spite of himself. Markus lowered his head once more, staring at the revolver in his hands.

"Markus…I'm sorry about Magdalene. Believe me…" Vincent continued, "…but we have to go now. It's over Markus, you've done well. Besides, there's nothing more you can do for her…"

He paused for a moment, staring at the pit and shook his head. "She's as good as dead anyway…."

Hearing these words, caused Markus to suddenly snap out of his trance. He studied Vincent in a wide-eyed expression of hope and desperation.

"What did you say" asked Markus, studying Vincent.

Vincent suddenly hesitated and slowly backed away. He began to stutter.

"What?….I…I don't know what you're talking about…I'm just saying…you know…we-we need to move forward…I-I mean there's no reason to risk any further danger right?"

Markus slowly rose from his kneeling position, as a haunting fear came over him. Out of nowhere, the memory of the child's drawing: 'FEEDING TIME' flashed in his mind with disturbing clarity. His pale blue eyes, suddenly grew large with panic.

"She's not dead, is she…" spoke Markus with a horrifying realization.

"…my father and the others… they didn't kidnap her because of me…they were going to use her as a sacrifice! You _knew that_ didn't you?"

Markus quickly turned around and scanned the room frantically for his shotgun. Spotting it on the ground, he quickly snatched it up and ran towards the pit, as Vincent watched in shock and disbelief.

"Markus what are you doing?" cried Vincent _"STOP! YOU MUST'NT DO THIS! PLEASE!"_

But Markus ignored his protests, and grabbed Magdalene's shoulder bag before jumping into the pit. Vincent ran up to the pit's edge and yelled after Markus, but there was no response. He clenched his hands into fists so tight, that his nails were digging into his palms.

"Damn it" Vincent muttered, "the Elders are NOT going to be pleased by this…"

Markus hit the ground with a hard thud. He hissed and groaned, rubbing his knees as he strained his eyes to see through the pitch black darkness.

"Magdalene" he called out. "Magdalene can you hear me? Where are you, answer me!"

All of a sudden, a light flickered on, revealing a dirty grimy sub-basement. Broken wheelchairs, hospital equipment, and instrument tables stocked with acid-filled mason jars were spread throughout this area. Human bones littered the grimy floor and dried blood decorated the dirty cement walls. Markus desperately scanned the area for any sign of Magdalene, but she was nowhere to be found. Just then, he heard the sound of someone coughing, and he quickly turned and ran towards the source of the noise.

Sure enough, he spotted Magdalene, huddled tight in a corner, on the opposite side of the room, half hidden by hospital debris. She was barely conscious. Markus quickly ran towards her, but stopped dead in his tracks, when seeing a large heavy sewer grate, in the middle of the room, shifting. Markus quickly slung Magdalene's bag over his shoulder, and readied his shotgun, waiting for -whatever it was- to come bursting through the sewer grate. He would not be disappointed. The sewer grate suddenly flew open with incredible force, revealing a disgusting gelatinous mass with human teeth, trying to pull itself, out from below. Markus immediately began firing his shotgun at the ugly thing, and although it grunted in pain, the thing seemed to absorb each shot with little to no damage.

_Damn it what am I going to do? The shotgun doesn't seem to hurt it!_

Just then, the floor beneath him shook, and in four parts of the room, the floor cracked and crumbled. Suddenly, large, red, glistening octopus tentacles, the size of tree trunks, burst through these four places and stretched menacingly towards Markus and Magdalene. Markus quickly reloaded his shotgun, and began shooting the octopus tentacles. This strategy seemed to inflict pain more effectively, but he had to quickly duck, whenever one of the tentacles swooped down and tried to grab him. He just barely evaded one of these attacks, when he noticed one of the tentacles across the room, was about to grab Magdalene.

Markus cried out, as he rushed to her aid. He grabbed one of the acid-filled jars off of an instrument table, and hurled it towards the tentacle, nailing it at the base of the hole. This action caused the monster to scream in agony as the tentacle quickly dried up and shriveled back into the hole it created. This gave Markus a brilliant new strategy. Working fast, he quickly grabbed as many jars as he could safely carry, and began hurling them at the monster's mouth and tentacles. It took several grueling minutes of running, dodging, and close calls; but ultimately, Markus succeeded in killing the monster. He watched as the hideous thing groaned in agony, as it melted into a puddle of red sludge, and slowly slipped back into the floor. Then he quickly turned his attention back to Magdalene, still huddled in the corner. Markus quickly ran to her side and cradled her in his arms. She was cold as ice and her skin was deathly pale. But Magdalene's lips moved, and she opened her eyes, gingerly.

"Markus…" she whispered "I'm so sorry"

"Shhhhhhhh!" Markus whispered, "try not to speak. You're going to be alright. I've got you…."

He brushed her hair back from her face, and it felt like silk to his touch. But as Markus reached in his pocket for the ampoule, he noticed that her camisol was completely soaked in her own blood. He then frantically searched his pockets for ampoule as Magdalene suddenly began to cough and hyperventilate.

"Oh my God" cried Magdalene, "I'm falling! Markus help me! Please! Help me…"

At that moment, Markus found the ampoule and he forced Magdalene to drink its contents, even though it made her cough and choke. She managed to drink it all and she let her head fall against Markus' chest as he continued to cradle her in his arms.

"There" he breathed, holding her tightly. "You'll be well in a few minutes. Then we can get out of here and leave this place."

He closed his eyes and continued to hold her tightly, waiting for the ampoule to take effect. But when he opened his eyes again, Markus noticed that Magdalene's condition had not changed. He was about to search Magdalene's shoulder bag for a First Aid kit and a health drink, when Magdalene slowly reached up and touched Markus' face. He froze, as Magdalene stared deep into his pale blue eyes.

"…I love you…" she whispered, "…please forgive me…"

In that moment, Markus was unable to speak. His throat ached so bad, he wanted to cry. Unable to control his emotions, Markus quickly lifted Magdalene's head up and pulled her into a deep kiss. As he continued to kiss her, Magdalene's hand, weakly traveled from his cheek, down to the nape of his neck, slipping underneath his shirt collar. Markus eventually stopped kissing her, and pulled away to see if her condition had changed. But he noticed she was still pale and felt weak.

"Hold on" spoke Markus, "I need to treat that wound."

He gently laid Magdalene down on the ground and began searching her shoulder bag for the First Aid kit and Health Drink. But suddenly there was a loud sound that came from above. Markus stood up, grabbed the shotgun, and went to investigate. He strained his neck to see if someone or something was up above them, but he couldn't make out anything. Suddenly, there was a loud scraping noise behind him. Markus quickly spun around with his shotgun ready to fire, but he immediately froze when seeing **Valtiel**, hunched over by the sewer entrance -carrying Magdalene over his shoulders!

_**"No!….NOOOOOOOOOOO!"**_

But before Markus could react, there came the sound of sirens blaring in the distance. And Valtiel crawled into the sewer with lightening speed, taking Magdalene with him…

**A/N: **


	15. Waverer Melancholy Requiem

**A/N: After maiming his father and slaying the Beast, Markus was reunited with a mortally wounded Magdalene. After she confesses her love for him, Markus struggles to treat her injuries; Only to witness VALTIEL abduct Magdalene, and escape with her down the sewer. WARNING: The following chapter contains content that may be disturbing to some readers. Reader discretion is ADVISED.**

Sirens continued blaring in the distance… as blood, rust, and grime, literally peeled off every surface. It floated up into the air and disintegrated like pieces of burning ash. The hellish nightmare that was once the 'otherworld' quickly vanished into thin air. But none of this seemed to matter as Markus, stood dumb-founded and motionless over the large sewer _same _sewer grate he watched Valtiel use, to escape with Magdalene over his shoulders.

_Mother of god…this is NOT HAPPENING!_

Angry and distraught, Markus fell to his knees crying, as he repeatedly beat the grate cover with his bare fists. When his fingers began to ache and bleed, he grabbed his shotgun and began hitting the grate with the butt of his gun, and still he could not get it to open. Finally, Markus dropped his weapon. He was overcome with grief, loss…and a headache so excruciating, it caused him to collapse on the ground. The cold cement floor, soothed Markus' burning forehead, but as the pain in his head increased, so did his grief over losing Magdalene.

"Forgive me Magdalene…" he whispered softly, as warm tears streamed down his cheeks. "…forgive me…"

Somewhere in the room, he heard the sound of a door opening and closing, and foot steps walking steadily towards him. But just as he looked up to see who it was, his headache intensified. Feeling as though his eyes were about to explode, Markus cried out in agony. A wave of heaviness washed over him as he clutched his head, and the sound of insects buzzed loudly in his ears. The world around Markus grew dark once more; it darkened, then slowly faded and melted away, until there was nothing. Nothing but the sound of insects…

But then…just like that… the heaviness lifted. The noises ceased, and his headache receded, just slightly. Although his head still throbbed, Markus slowly opened his eyes, noticing that the concrete floor beneath him had changed. It was no longer hard, but soft, cool, and damp. As his vision slowly cleared, he saw that he was lying outside in a grassy area, surrounded by thick fog.

"What's going on" he murmured to himself, "where am I…"

Looking around, Markus suddenly realized he was no longer in the hospital, but somewhere outside. He didn't know where he was, and yet, the place felt vaguely familiar to him. As he slowly stood up and observed his surroundings, Markus soon noticed a large, white, majestic-looking mansion, half hidden by billowing clouds of fog. Suddenly it hit him. Markus knew _exactly_ where he was.

_The Lakeview Hotel! But Why? What am I doing here?_

For a long time, Markus stood motionless, as the cold heavy fog swirled about him, chilling him to his very core. For what purpose, did the unseen forces of Silent hill bring him to this place? Markus cleared his nose as he rubbed his throbbing eyes. He was tired. Tired and sick of running around, solving mysteries. He had just finished doing Vincent's dirty work for him, and now that Leonard Wolf was gone, Markus wanted nothing more to do with Silent Hill OR its remaining occupants. As far as he was concerned, he hoped that every last one of them would burn in Hell. Unfortunately, Markus knew that, as usual, he had no choice. If he had any hope of escaping this town, he would have to push forward and discover whatever the hell it was, he was supposed to find.

With this in mind, Markus slowly made his way across the lawn, and up the granite stone steps. But just as he reached out to grab the shiny brass door handle, he was startled by the faint sound of piano music coming from inside the hotel. He pushed his way through, and found himself alone inside a desolate hallway. A fancy ornate red carpet, stretched before Markus throughout the dimly lit area, like the yellow brick road leading the way to Oz. Markus' head started hurting again, so he leaned against the lily colored wall to get his bearings. As he massaged his temples, he could still hear the piano music playing softly in the distance.

That song, Markus thought, he believed he had heard it somewhere before; a café he once ate at when he was little. All of a sudden, Markus felt dizzy, as his stomach churned, and he felt nauseated. That café… Café Mist! Markus struggled to think and remember, but it made him feel all the more frightened and sick. All he could recall, was the name Café Mist, and that something horrible happened to him there, when he was young. And that song… Markus listened, and concentrated hard, despite the pain. He was trying to identify the soft soothing melody that was beautiful in its simplicity, yet sad, almost mournful. Markus' eyes widened as the pain in his head, suddenly increased. He remembered the name of the song.

"Mother of god" gasped Markus, "_…the name of this song… it's __**'Magdalene' **__!_"

Soldiering through his pain, Markus pushed himself up and sprinted down the hall, towards the source of the music. He eventually stumbled around the corner, and found two large double doors, and a sign next to the doors reading: _"Lake Shore Restaurant". This _was the source of the music. Markus also noticed that the entire fresh hold was decorated with silk ribbons, baby's breath, and fresh roses in various shades of pink. Underneath the restaurant sign, was a large note printed out on pink computer paper:

_** Nevins' Wedding Reception **_

_** 2p.m. - 12a.m. **_

Markus paused. "Nevins…wedding reception..?"

For some reason, this sign caused Markus to feel uneasy. He couldn't quite make the connection, but his earlier sense of déjà vu, now felt stronger than ever. What's more, he remembered Magdalene saying she was related to the Nevins, somehow. Markus touched the door handle and the piano music suddenly stopped. Taking a deep breath, he opened the doors and slowly entered, bracing himself for a nasty surprise.

What he found instead, was a spacious dining area with small tables and chairs set up in various corners of the room, and a large oblong table set off to the side; presumably for the newlyweds and their family members. In the middle of the room, Markus saw a small circular table holding a magnificent wedding cake. It stood tall like a fairytale castle, draped in edible pearl strands, sparkling rhinestones, and lovely silver and blue rosettes. The five foot tall cake caused Markus' mouth to water. He was so entranced by the beautiful cake, he didn't notice a lone figure sitting on the floor. The figure was pressed tightly against the sliding door window, staring out into the fog.

"I remember you now" spoke the figure. "and I remember this place… _This_ is where we first met…"

Markus jumped, nearly knocking the cake over as he quickly turned to the source of the voice. His heart was beating fast and his eyes began to tear. Looking towards the windows, Markus spotted Magdalene sitting on the floor, her hand pressed tight against the glass.

"Magdalene!" he cried, "My god you're alright!"

Markus ran over to Magdalene, and put his arms around her. He held Magdalene in a tight embrace, but she did not return his hug. Noticing her lack of response (and the fact that she was ice cold to the touch), Markus quickly pulled away from her. He suddenly realized that this could be a trap. A demon created in Magdalene's image, sent to torment and possibly kill him. So Markus studied her face for any signs of deviation. He paid close attention to her eyes, but they were the same sea-green colored eyes he remembered and loved.

"Magdalene…" he spoke "what's happened to you?"

She did not answer him. Her expression was a mixture of sadness and deep longing. Instead, Magdalene slowly turned and observed the wedding cake in the middle of the room.

"This is where my aunt Carol and uncle Donald renewed their wedding vows" she spoke with a sad smile.

"My cousin Jeanie and I were flower girls. The ceremony was so beautiful, and we loved our gowns so much. We ran through the hotel, pretending we were princesses…"

Markus stared at Magdalene. He didn't understand what was going on, or why she was reminiscing about a wedding.

"I remember you from back then… I remember you as the handsome little boy with black hair, blue eyes. You slipped into this room from the patio, and nobody saw you except me. I followed you. And when I found you hiding in a storage closet , you were frightened, hungry, and covered in bruises. You begged me for help."

Magdalene paused. Her eyes brimming with tears, and her voice began to crack.

"This is the day I first met you…the day I tried to save you… but I failed. That fat ugly man came and tried to hurt me… and then you ended up saving _me_ instead. Don't you remember?"

Markus shook his head 'no'. He continued to study Magdalene, all the while struggling to make sense of what she was saying. But then she slowly turned, and looked him dead in the eyes.

"Markus? What happened at the hospital" she asked in a mournful voice, "why did you leave me ?"

Markus swallowed hard, trying desperately to control his emotions. But he silently cursed himself for his failure to protect her. Poor Magdalene, he thought, she looked so pale and fragile.

"Maggs" he started softly, "I didn't leave you. I tried to save you, I swear !…but Valtiel…"

"No" interrupted Magdalene as tears streamed down her face,

_**You let him hurt me…!**_

Markus instantly fell backwards, his pale blue eyes widened in terror. He was frightened by the voice he heard; a voice, that wasn't Magdalene's voice, but a voice from the grave. It was a voice he recognized all too well. Markus' lips moved to speak, but the words stuck in his throat, choking him.

"_Mm…Mom…?" _he stuttered, as he desperately tried to push himself away.

_**You let him hurt me Markus… I begged and I screamed…but you stood by and did Nothing! While your father did things to me upstairs in our bedroom…**_

Markus continued pushing himself away. He backed away so fast, he bumped into the small table, knocking the wedding cake onto the floor. It collapsed in a crumpled heap, and when Markus turned to look, he nearly gagged when witnessing bloody maggots squirming and expanding out from the cake's remains.

"Markus…"

He returned his attention back to Magdalene. She was speaking in her own voice, once more.

"…Please help me…I'm scared!…Markus?…I don't want to die here!"

All of a sudden, Markus felt a drop of water hit his head, then slowly trickle down the side of his face. When he tried wiping it away, Markus gasped when seeing that the water drop was, in fact, _**blood.**_ In that instant, every inch of the ceiling started leaking blood, and it did so in such a way, that it looked [and felt] like it was raining inside the restaurant! Markus watched as Magdalene, finally collapsed onto the floor, weeping as the bloody rain drops continued falling. As Magdalene continued to cry, Markus heard loud sounds: like someone dragging heavy metal on the floor. It was then, that Markus beheld a terrifying sight, standing outside on the patio. It was_ The Iron Pyramid…Silent Hill's Judge, Jury, and Executioner!_

The crimson-colored Pyramid Head towered menacingly over Magdalene as she continued to weep, casting a long dark shadow over her. Then…in a slow and graceful motion, it tilted itself backwards, as it slowly lifted the great knife up over its head. Before Markus could say or do anything, the sliding glass door shattered, and the blade crashed down over Magdalene….cutting her in half like a hot knife through butter…

**A/N: You may notice that some of my chapters are named after various songs from this series. I try to pick songs that fit the mood of the chapters. The following tracks that inspired THIS chapter are: "Magdalene" , "Waverer", and "Fortunate Sleep -No one Disturb Her". **


	16. MonoChrome Night

**A/N: The Story So Far: Markus has just experienced a terrifying nightmare or was it a premonition? With the help of a friend, Markus attempts to collect himself and prepare for an uncertain future, Outside of the cult. But little does he know, that the town of Silent Hill isn't finished with him yet... **

Markus sat upright in bed, screaming, his face dripping with sweat. It took several seconds for him to realize he was no longer in the hotel, and several more seconds to realize he had been stripped naked (except for his underwear). Looking around, Markus found himself inside a small, sparsely decorated room, lit by an array of small and large votive candles perched on every flat surface. Out of the corner of his eye, he spied a veiled female figure sitting at a small round table in the far corner near the door. Though the lighting was dim, he could just make out the table, draped in a silk red cloth, with ornate gold patterns woven into the fabric. The table held a brown wooden bowl, a mortar and pestle carved out of obsidian, a deck of large tarot cards, and a medium sized crystal ball.

"Markus…" spoke the female figure, softly. She had a thick Russian accent.

It was the sound of her accent, that caused Markus to finally breathe a sigh of relief. He let himself fall back into the pillows, comforted in knowing he was safe in the company of a friend. A very old and dear one at that.

"Natalya" Markus breathed, as he closed his eyes and collected himself.

Natalya Netrebko picked up the wooden bowl and a washcloth, as she walked over to Markus and sat by his bedside. As she gently pressed the cool damp cloth on his forehead, neck, and shoulders, Markus groaned.

"How do you feel" she asked.

"Sick" Markus answered weakly, "How did I get here?"

"Vincent brought you to me" she said, wringing the washcloth out in the bowl.

"I was starting to worry. You have been unconscious for two days now".

"Two days…?" Markus groaned, as he slowly tried to sit back up.

He tried making eye contact with Natalya whose face was covered by a black netted veil. She was a small frail woman of 70. And although, under their harsh living conditions, she kept herself looking well, the black netting pattern could not hide the passage of time, or the fading color of her chestnut-brown hair. Markus swallowed hard.

"I thought I was at the Lakeview Hotel…I thought I found Magdalene." Markus slowly turned his head away from Natalya in quiet despair. "But it wasn't real. It was all just a horrible nightmare…"

"It was no nightmare Markus" Natalya assured him, "you were having a vision".

Markus let out a disgusted sigh, fighting back tears as Natalya touched his shoulder. He made eye contact with her, and his sad tormented expression caused Natalya to frown.

For as long as she could remember, Markus had always been handsome…even as a boy. But it was clear from the deep lines in his face, and the glazed, far away look in his eyes, that Markus was now broken. Even though he managed to subdue Leonard Wolf and permanently disable him, both Rebecca Wolf's suicide and the loss of his angel, had taken their toll on Markus' psyche. Natalya licked her dry lips.

_Poor boy… he has suffered so much. But I must tell him the truth now…even at the risk of him turning against me... _

"Markus" she began softly, "there is something I must tell you…"

But before Natalya could utter another word, she was interrupted by the sound of heavy pounding coming from downstairs. Someone was at the door. She looked at Markus apologetically, and quickly stood up, fixing her veil.

"Excuse me" she spoke, "I'll see who that is".

Markus watched as Natalya quickly exited the room and swiftly travel down a narrow flight of stairs. As he slowly sat back up in bed, Markus could hear the faint sound of a door opening and muffled voices. At first, he couldn't make out what was being said, but the voices suddenly became louder, the conversation more heated. This prompted Markus to force himself out of bed, and scan the room for any article of clothing he could use.

* * *

><p>"You should be ashamed of yourself Vincent" Natalya scolded, as she held the small white envelope in her hands. "$3,000 dollars for a stolen life?…You can do better than that!"<p>

"What do you mean" spat Vincent, folding his arms in defiance. "I think that amount is more than fair, considering how he botched up the job. Markus is lucky he's getting _any_ sort of compensation!"

Vincent paused a moment to reflect.

"You weren't there, Natalya. You should have seen the way he stabbed and mutilated Leonard…"

The memory of that bloody scene down in the hospital morgue, suddenly caused Vincent to shudder. Leonard Wolf's cruelty was well known among elders and parishioners alike.

He was a monster _and_ a sadistic tyrant, whom no one would miss. But the animal-like ferocity Vincent witnessed in Markus as he stabbed and burned Leonard with acid, was enough to make his flesh crawl. It was a gruesome sight that, among other

memories, he would not soon forget. Vincent fidgeted nervously, as Natalya glared accusingly at him.

"What did you expect him to do, after all that's happened" she asked. "Leonard tried to kill him, as he tried to kill the girl. You should have warned Markus in the first place, of his intentions for her…"

"That wasn't my concern" dismissed Vincent. He then tossed a large brown backpack filled with items at her feet.

"What's done is done. All we can do now, is move forward and lead our congregation into a more positive direction. See to it that Markus gets those items as well. And make sure he leaves town as soon as possible!"

"What's the matter, Vincent? Afraid Markus will challenge your authority?"

Vincent's slender frame suddenly became rigid, as he formed his hands into tight fists. Of course he was afraid. He was young and inexperienced, but in spite of this, Vincent managed to work [and manipulate] his way into the Elders' good graces. He

worked very hard to acquire his newfound power, and he wasn't about to let some 70 year old Commie hag threaten to take it all away.

"Well you shouldn't be…" Natalya finally answered, "Markus has no intention of staying. Your leadership is assured…at the moment".

"What does that mean" asked Vincent defensively.

"It means you better hand over the rest of Markus' money, before I tell the elders what you've been up to."

"What" snapped Vincent, "I don't know what you're talking about!"

But Natalya's lips formed into a cruel smile, when she observed the color drain from Vincent's face. There was no way he could deny it.

"You know very well what I say" she snapped back. "Everyone knows how donations have been disappearing, particularly after your sermons."

She stopped and pointed directly at Vincent, causing him to back away.

"I know it is you Vincent, and I can prove it. Do you wish me to contact the elders?"

"You're insane!" shouted Vincent, "I've done nothing wrong! You can't prove a thing. No one will listen to you!"

"Won't they?" Natalya scoffed. "Dahlia Gillespie is dead! There is no one else left, who possesses the gift of sight! The elders will believe me, because they rely on MY gift now!"

She stepped menacingly towards Vincent, and with both hands, Natalya grabbed Vincent by his vest, pulling his face close to hers.

"You give me that money right now! Or I tell the elders and everyone in congregation how you steal from them!"

Vincent broke away from Natalya, nearly tripping over himself. For a split second, he considered bashing the old hag in the face with his bare fists. But instead, he frantically reached inside his back pocket, and produced a large money clip. He threw it

at Natalya as he quickly stumbled backwards out of the building. But before he took off running, Vincent shouted one final warning to Natalya.

"You just make sure he leaves town. And tell him not to bother finding Claudia!"

Natalya watched as Vincent took off running down the street, disappearing into the fog before she picked up the backpack and money clip off the floor. She removed the large wad of bills from the ornate clip, and studied it in her hand, counting out $5,000 dollars, plus 3, made $8,000 dollars total. It _still_ wasn't enough in her opinion.

'_I need to make up for this somehow' _Natalya thought to herself, as she placed the remaining bills into the white envelope and sighed.

Closing the door, Natalya flipped on a switch, causing the entire room to light up, revealing a lavishly decorated restaurant. Natalya leaned against the door staring solemnly at the empty tables and booths upholstered in red velvet. This place was once

a source of great wealth and prosperity for Natalya and her father; at least, it was before the darkness came and devoured everything. Many years ago, when Natalya and her father first arrived in Silent Hill, they bought the failing LUCKY JADE restaurant, with the little money her father brought from Moscow and the money she accumulated through her psychic consultations.

Times were good then, members of The Order worshipped and sacrificed as they were supposed to, and everyone inside and outside the religion, prospered as a result. But as time passed, greed slowly took hold and The Order secretly resorted to unspeakable acts, to ensure the religion's growth and power.

"What was that all about" asked a voice.

Looking up, Natalya saw Markus standing at the foot of the stairs. He was now fully dressed, wearing a dark button down shirt, faded blue jeans, and a scuffed up pair of brown leather boots.

"Oh, nothing important" Natalya answered, as she placed the white envelope in the backpack. "Come, I prepared some food for you."

Markus hesitated at first, noticing the large brown backpack in Natalya's hands. But hunger spoke louder than his curiosity, and he sat down in one of the booths, just as Natalya disappeared into the kitchen. He was still tired and felt nauseated from

his ordeal. As he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, Markus hoped Natalya hadn't prepared anything for him that would upset his stomach. After several minutes had passed, Natalya reappeared from the kitchen with a tray in one hand, and the backpack

in the other. She set the tray down before Markus, as she continued walking towards the stairs.

"Now eat your soup and wait for me. I have something to give you" she shouted half way up the steps.

Markus was confused. What was Natalya up to he wondered. Looking down at his tray, he found a steaming bowl of ramen noodles with large chunks of beef. Next to the bowl was a medium sized wheat roll, stale, but not moldy. At first, Markus felt as

though he had no appetite, but after taking one bite, Markus quickly began wolfing it down, occasionally dipping his roll into the broth. As he savored the remaining morsels in his mouth, Markus closed his eyes and wondered…

_Where the hell do I go from here?_

After his mother's funeral, Markus had planned to sneak back to their home, grab some essentials, the money he'd been secretly hoarding, then escape Silent Hill. He was never really certain if Claudia would have gone willingly, but he was prepared to

force her if necessary. All of that changed, however, when Markus found Magdalene in Rosewater Park. She was a vision of loveliness in Markus' eyes: Weak and vulnerable, yet warm and caring; strong yet fragile at the same time, like a precious figurine. Markus rubbed his eyes, relieved that he hadn't any more tears left to cry, as he remembered the last words she ever whispered to him.

_'I love you'_ Magdalene whispered in his ear. Those three little words disturbed Markus... because even though his feelings for her were strong, he still wasn't sure if it was genuine 'love' or something else. Maybe, he thought, this town was finally starting to get to him. Markus didn't know what he could be sure of anymore. But as he closed his tired eyes, images of Magdalene flooded his mind. For a brief moment, it felt to him as though she were with him in the restaurant at this moment.

"Maggs" he whispered still rubbing his eyes, "could you really be alive somewhere?"

"**Markus…"**

The sound of his name, snapped Markus out of his trance, and he looked up just as Natalya set the large brown backpack on the table in front of him. The expression on her face, was grave.

"Markus, you must listen to me carefully and try to stay calm".

Natalya placed another object in front of Markus. It was the black videotape he found at the hospital, with the drawing of an angel on it. Markus froze upon seeing the videotape, his eyes widened in apprehension.

"There isn't much time" Natalya continued, "If you wish to save your angel, you must follow my instructions and do not ask questions. All will be revealed to you when you travel to Café Mist".

"What?" Markus shot up from his seat so fast, he banged his thigh against the table.

"So Magdalene _wasn't dying_ when Valtiel grabbed her. The ampoul I gave her DID work…" Suddenly Markus had an unsettling thought. "But if Magdalene was alright, then why did Valtiel take her?"

Natalya shook her head, as she handed Markus the backpack. It had a decent amount of weight, but it didn't feel too cumbersome. So he slung the backpack on his shoulders, as Natalya handed him the videotape, a map, and a flashlight.

"Make haste to the café Markus. ALL the answers you seek, will be there waiting for you…" Natalya suddenly paused, bowing her head. "…along with 'other' revelations…"

Markus stared at Natalya. There was something else, something Natalya wasn't being forthcoming with, and it was making him frustrated.

"Natalya" Markus started, "what sort of revelations are you talking about?"

She remained silent.

"Damn it" demanded Markus, "TALK TO ME !"

Natalya finally looked up at Markus, and he could see through her veil, a tear slip from her lash and fall. She removed the veil from her face.

"I can not tell you Markus. If I do, you will not be able to go forward." Reaching inside her dress pocket, Natalya pulled out a scrap of paper, and handed it to Markus. Upon studying it, Markus realized it was a combination to a safe.

"ALL of the answers you seek, will be revealed to you when you go to Café Mist. Just remember… whatever you find there, no matter how painful, you MUST be strong. Magdalene needs you. She too holds the answers to your questions, although she does not realize it just yet…"

Markus stared at the safe combination in his hand, and then he looked at Natalya. He didn't know what to think or believe anymore. But if there was a chance that Magdalene was still alive, he had to try and find her. Pocketing the safe combination, Markus readjusted the backpack on his shoulders, and quickly exited the restaurant.

**A/N: I apologize for the long wait. The following SH3 tracks inspired this chapter: 'Never Forgive Me, Never Forget Me', and 'Monochrome Night'. **


	17. Ashes and Ghosts

**A/N: The story so far: Markus heeds an old friend's advice and searches for both answers (and Magdalene's whereabouts) at Café Mist. But what he finds instead, are lost memories of a horrible tragedy, and a trail of clues pointing towards an unthinkable truth. WARNING: The following contains content of a violent and cruel nature. READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.**

The streets of Silent Hill appeared desolate and calm. Perhaps _too calm_, Markus thought, as he traveled cautiously towards Café Mist. Noticing a subtle change in the atmosphere, Markus jogged to the intersection of Neely St. and Katz St., pausing a moment to catch his breath. The fog, he observed, was thick as always…But there were no audible signs of movement, and no monsters. This troubled Markus, because he was accustomed to dodging Mannequin monsters and straight-jacket monsters in this area. Something was wrong.

At the corner of Katz St., he could barely make out Café Mist's green and black striped canopy through the solid curtain of fog. Markus' stomach churned, and he gnashed his teeth, feeling anger over Natalya's refusal to give him more information. What in god's name was she hiding? WHY couldn't she give him a clue. Just ONE clue! A little something to ease his growing anxiety. Clutching the flashlight tightly, Markus took a deep breath and ran towards the barely visible red brick structure. When he finally reached the café, Markus peered through the windows, to see if monsters were lurking inside. Satisfied the coast was clear, Markus squeezed the door handle and was surprised to find it unlocked.

Stepping inside, Markus was greeted by an empty room with tables and chairs arranged neatly throughout the area, like abstract chess pieces on a large black and white checker board. Various tea pots and coffee dispensers hugged the rose colored wall behind the cash register, along with large blackboards listing daily specials. The atmosphere actually felt warm, cozy, and inviting. Markus could even detect the warm faint smell of freshly brewed coffee in the room. Next to the cash register, was a large glass case displaying a variety of fresh looking doughnuts, cake slices and large oatmeal raisin cookies and chocolate chip muffins. Markus normally didn't eat sweets (mostly because he was denied them growing up), but for some reason, the display case seemed to command his attention. He moved closer to the pastry case, studying the variety of delicious treats. And that's when Markus noticed a long, shiny silver object with a tag attached, jutting out from a large piece of dark chocolate cake. Markus attempted to open the glass case, but found it was locked tight.

'Great. Why am I not surprised' Markus thought bitterly, as he kicked the case in disgust. Just then, a shot rang out from a door behind the register, causing Markus to jump. For a few tense moments, he remained frozen in position, cursing himself for not bringing a weapon. But after a few minutes passed, Markus finally worked up the nerve to investigate who -or what made that noise. Slowly, with his heart in his throat, Markus turned the knob, and pushed open the door…

What Markus found was a cramped office the size of a storage closet, and the body of a man dressed in a brown shirt and black apron, slumped over on a desk. He was bleeding profusely from a gunshot wound to the head. Markus stood in the doorway, revolted by the gruesome discovery. He had his fill of blood and gore, and had no desire to investigate further; but a hand-written note on the wall and a map, piqued his curiosity. Fighting his disgust, Markus moved towards the desk, taking special care not to make any physical contact with the corpse. Studying the map, Markus noticed a place on Lindsey St., circled in red marker, so he copied this to his map, and then removed the hand written note from the wall.

_**God in heaven forgive me for what I've done. I saw him again today. **_

_**This time he was leaving from a funeral and it made me utterly sick! Every time I see him I'm reminded of that little boy who struggled and cried for help. And what they did to his mother. Dear god. Why did I help those men? I should have gone to the police, but I was afraid of them. I guess it doesn't matter now. I'm taking the coward's way out. I can't stand it anymore. I close my eyes and see that little boy and his mother. I see them every night in my dreams. They cry, asking me 'why'. God have mercy on me, I'm sorry.**_

_**-Jack Davis **_

For a long time Markus studied the suicide note, trying to digest what he was reading. But the more he read it, the more uneasy he became. He finally set the note on a part of the desk that wasn't covered in blood, and that's when he discovered a handgun, some bullets, and a key to the display case. Markus snatched the handgun, tucking it in his pants. He then grabbed the key, and quickly backed out of the room, shutting the door behind him. After fumbling with the lock, Markus opened up the dessert case and quickly removed the cake slice, with the long silver object sticking out. He pulled the object out of the cake, discovering it to be a silver house key with an ornate tag reading: _**Kaufman**_. Markus slowly made his way towards the front of the room; but in spite of his gruesome discovery, he felt strongly tempted by the delicious looking cake in his hand. Sticking the key in his pocket, Markus broke off a large piece of the chocolate cake and ate it. But as he enjoyed the soft, sugary sweet morsels dissolving in his mouth, Markus was suddenly overcome by a sharp stabbing pain in his head. His suffering became so great, he dropped the dessert plate, and it crashed and scattered on the floor in multiple pieces. Markus soon fell to his knees, overcome with agony, as his mind was suddenly flooded with sounds and images; images that flashed through his mind's eye, like an 8mm film…

* * *

><p><em>A warm beautiful sunny afternoon at Café Mist. A young husband and wife sitting at a table, relaxing with their restless young son, as the soft sweet melody of the song: 'Magdalene' played in the background. As the young couple sipped on their drinks, enjoying the warm summer day, their small child continued fidgeting as he tried to wolf down his chocolate cake. <em>

"_Honey" spoke the beautiful blonde-haired mother, "slow down you'll make yourself sick."_

"_Yea buddy" added the kind-faced father with dark hair, "this isn't a marathon. We have plenty of time to get to the park."_

"_Aw but dad" pleaded the small, handsome-looking boy with dark hair and blue eyes, "how much longer do we have to wait? I wanna see Robbie the Rabbit!"_

_The father and mother exchanged tired but happy smiles. Then the father reached over and patted his son, lovingly on the head._

"_Alright buddy" he sighs, "you win. We'll head over to the amusement park."_

_The kind faced father reached into his back pocket, pulling out his wallet and car keys, while the handsome little boy slid out of his seat and started walking towards the bathroom._

"_Oh honey wait" spoke the beautiful mother._

"_It's ok mom. I'm a big kid now" the boy answered with a smile, as he rushed towards the bathrooms._

_As he did this, the little boy heard his father say something about bringing the car around front. While going at the urinal, the handsome little boy, noticed a husky, nervous-looking man with glasses, dressed in black, watching him intently. The boy finished up, exited the bathroom, and made his way back to his mother. But a tall slender figure blocked his way. _

_The little boy could not really see the tall man's face, but just as he was about to say 'excuse me', a large hand wrapped around the boy's mouth, and a strong arm looped around his waist -pulling him further back into the hallway. The frightened little boy tried to struggle and scream, as the tall man grabbed his small wrists, holding them together._

"_Damn it, what are you waiting for" hissed the tall man, " USE the chloroform!"_

"_What?" spoke the husky man, "Oh S-#%$ ! I thought YOU were bringing it"_

"_Son of a bitch!" cursed the tall man. He glared at his partner and then at the little boy, twisting and yelping like a frightened mouse caught in the jaws of a cat. _

_The tall man pulled out a large knife from his coat, and pressed the sharp blade hard against his small face. The boy stopped struggling._

"_Stop fighting you little brat or you're gonna get hurt!" the tall man threatened._

_The frightened little boy complied as the tall man's partner, picked him up and carried him towards the fire exit. But just then, the child's mother entered the hallway and discovered what was happening. The little boy tried to scream, as his mother cried for help, but the tall man grabbed the mother and clamped his hand over her mouth. The little boy watched in wide-eyed horror, as the tall man took his knife, and cut his mother's throat from ear to ear, nearly decapitating her. _

_The tall man quickly tore off his jacket and wrapped it around the dying mother's head and neck, as her body twitched and made gurgling sounds. He then dashed towards the café entrance and bolted the door, shut off the lights, and hung up a CLOSED sign, before returned to the hallway. He then glared menacingly at his partner._

"_Tie up the kid and put him in the kitchen! Send Jack out here to help me with this…!"_

* * *

><p>Markus gasped as the violent memory abruptly ended, leaving him dazed and feeling sick. Shifting himself into a sitting position on the floor, Markus took deep breaths, struggling to clear his mind and to make sense of what just happened.<p>

"My God" whispered Markus, rubbing his forehead, "what the hell just happened? That little boy, the mother. Who were they?" Suddenly it hit him. " …oh god…"

The pieces fell rapidly into place, and the truth revealed itself to Markus, with sharp painful clarity. _He_ was that little boy in the vision. And that lovely blonde-haired woman. Was she his mother? But that was Impossible! His mother was Rebecca Wolf, and she had brown hair, and was much skinnier than the blonde haired woman in his vision. What the hell was going on?

Markus forced himself up off the floor, and staggered clumsily towards the hallway. He tried pushing his way into the bathrooms, a door labeled: Employees Only, and an Emergency Fire Exit down at the end of the hall. But all of the knobs were broken, and the doors would not budge. Frustrated, Markus slammed the door with his fist. But as he continued to vent, he suddenly remembered the map on the wall, and the building on Lindsey St., circled in red. Studying the location on the map, if Markus remembered correctly, was actually a private residence. It wasn't far from the café and he could reach that destination in 15 minutes or less, assuming there were no obstacles or monsters barring the way.

Tucking the map in his backpack, Markus reached in his pocket, and felt for the house key. Satisfied that he still had it, Markus then pulled out the handgun and checked the ammo, counting 10 bullets left. It would have to do, he thought, as he exited the café, still shaken by his vision. As Markus ran towards his destination, a whole slew of questions and disturbing thoughts ran through his mind. But at this point, he didn't know what horrors awaited him at his next destination.

When Markus eventually reached the place marked on Lindsey St., he found himself in front of a row of grey, two story Victorian-style houses, resembling San Francisco's Painted Ladies. As he leaned forward to catch his breath, Markus felt strangely drawn to the house in front of him. He wasn't sure 'why', but there was something about _this_ particular house that felt familiar. Swallowing hard, Markus readjusted his backpack and jogged cautiously up the steps. Next to the door, Markus spotted a large, brass, oval shaped sign with the name 'Kaufman' engraved on it. Reaching inside his pocket, Markus produced the silver key and unlocked the door. But as he turned the knob, Markus' vision blurred, as he was suddenly hit by a new wave of sounds and emotions.

* * *

><p>"<em>You FOOLS!" shouted a smooth articulate, male voice. "What do you mean by bringing him here? The entire town is crawling with police. There's talk of door to door searches!"<em>

"_We're well aware of that doctor" answered a calm male voice, "but the police put roadblocks up. We can't reach Wish House without the risk of getting the car searched…"_

* * *

><p>Markus gasped as his vision returned and the voices ceased. What he just experienced, Markus was convinced it was related to his vision at the café. Shaking it off, Markus turned the knob and quickly entered the residence. Inside, Markus found a large, lavishly decorated living room that looked like something out of a museum<em>.<em> Antique tables, velvet chairs, a Victorian-style day sofa, Persian rugs, large vases, and two red blue & yellow Venetian Tiffany Lamps, shed light on the dark wood interior; the only things in the living room that were 'modern' , were two large black leather sofas, in front of a big screen television. Markus stood in front of the leather sofas, taking in his surroundings. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary, as he scanned the room. He spotted two doors: a large wooden sliding door, located in a narrow hallway, and a lone wooden door, underneath a staircase. As he strained his eyes to see, Markus noticed something unusual about the door underneath the staircase. There was some kind of dark painting hanging on it. He carefully navigated his way around the furniture to investigate the door more closely, but when he first tried the door, he found it locked. The small painting on the door depicted a dark grey, ghoulish looking humanoid, standing on a stage, holding a basket, surrounded by curtains, speckled with gold stars. The inscription under the painting read: "The Ghost of a Flea".

Markus stepped back from the door, suddenly feeling cold. He remembered there was a painting like this, hanging in the Midwich Elementary School's library. It was painted by a man named William Blake, he remembered. But there was something else about this painting. Markus never could say 'why', but whenever he saw this painting at school, he always felt cold and strangely afraid. But the reasons behind these reactions always eluded him. Seeing this small painting, reminded Markus of the great lengths he went through, to avoid looking at it, when he was younger.

Markus continued staring at the locked door, both pondering and dreading his next move. This dark little painting, Markus thought, Obviously held some sort of meaning. The fact that it was hanging on this locked door, only meant there was something important behind it. Inhaling deeply, Markus turned and exited the living room, determined to find that key. But as he focused his attention on the narrow wooden staircase, Markus could feel himself grow increasingly warm and his heart threatened to beat out of his chest. In a way, Markus didn't _want_ to open that door. As he carefully traveled up the steps, he felt as though he were searching for a key,not to the door, but to Pandora's BOX...

**A/N:The following tracks that inspired this chapter were: Ordinary Vanity, Ashes and Ghosts, and The Darkness that Lurks in our Minds (SH2).**


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